Darling One
by DaBillmann
Summary: Romania 1898. Darla kidnaps a young gypsy girl as a gift for Angelus. It's Angelus who kills her but not knowing who the culprit is, the gypsies curse "the one who took her from us" with the restoration of their soul, changing the Buffyverse as we know it. How will Darla differ as a vampire with a soul from Angel, and how will a certain blonde Slayer and a young half demon fit in?
1. Prologue: The Curse

Darling One

by DaBillmann

A/N: I've often wondered how things would have gone on Buffy if Angel had never been cursed. Which got me thinking, "what if it were somebody else?" Darla seemed the obvious choice, as she was the one who actually kidnapped the girl. I also got to thinking about Darla as the vampire with a soul, and about how Liam had been kind of a jerk before he was turned, maybe not evil, but not the best person, and THAT got me thinking "Just because Darla was a prostitute, dying of syphilis when the Master turned her, doesn't mean she was a BAD person." Face it, at that time, a young girl with no money and no family had few choices in life. She might feel responsible for Angelus' mayhem and her mission may be very different from Angel's mission of redemption. So, anyway, this story will cover Darla filling much of the Angel role, and an OC of mine filling a sort of combination of the Doyle and Whistler roles. That will become more clear as the story goes along. Writing at least two stories at once so, can't promise how frequent updates will be. Story will be rated M for language, and sexual situations including femslash. Will have spanking references if not actual spanking. And, of course, an OC who could be considered a Mary Sue by some. If any of these things offend you, I'm fine with you not reading it. Reviews, positive or negative are always welcome, but if negative, please have the decency to say something more constructive than "You SUCK!" lol.

A/N2: I will be following the timeline of the tv show but, as I can't always remember when a song came out, or what slang that we use today was not in use at the time (I AM almsot fifty years old!) there may be some anarchonisms.

Prologue:

 _Romania 1898_

The elders and the wise women of the Kalderash clan stood around the cauldron, changing. Petru snarled as they performed The Ritual of Restoration. Very soon, he would have his revenge.

His beloved daughter, the Jewel of the Kalderash, had gone missing, and no matter how they searched, they could not find her. Finally, the Magda, one of the wise women, managed to locate her using a scrying spell. Petru and others rushed to the site, but when they got there, all they found was her body, completely drained of blood, clearly the work of a vampire.

Petru had gone into a blind rage and it had taken four men to hold him down. The entire clan was enraged that anyone would take their Jewel from them, and it took little convincing to get them to perform the ritual.

"All the Gods, both light and dark, hear my plea," intoned Magda. "Punish the one who took our Jewel from us. Restore their soul so they may feel the pain of all the deeds they have done. Give us our vengance!"

-0-0-0-0-0

Darla screamed in ecstacy. Angelus had berely been able to contain himself, and had started tearing her clothes from her in front of Spike and Drusilla. Not that the four of them had not been sexual in front of each other before. Both fell back on the ground panting.

Suddenly, Darla contracted in pain. "What's wrong, Darlin'?" asked Angelus in his Irish brogue.

Darla just screamed and dou bled over, her eyes glowing a strange mystical yellow. "Angelus!" she screamed holding out a hand to her to him. A glowing light surrounded her body, then vanished, leaving her on the ground, crying.

"What the bleedin' hell is goin' on here?" came Spikes voice as he and Drusilla came rushing in, neither of them fully dressed.

Dru looked at Darla, a look of horror on her voice. "She's gone," the mad vampire wailed. "Grandmummy has all gone away!"

"Are you daft, girl," snapped Angelus, crouching down by Darla. "She's right here." He had no patience right now for Dru's meanderings.

"No," said Dru, calmer, but sadly now. "They took her from us. The nasty gypsy's took her from us!"

"What the hell does THAT mean?" asked Spike, looking to Angelus, who jsut shook his head.

Darla huddled on the ground, reliving every moment of her life as a vampire.

-0-0-0-0-0

Hours later, after having confronted Petru and learned the truth, Darla stood before the smoking ruins of the Kalderah clan. After learning of what had been done, Angelus and Spike went on a tear, taking Drusilla with them, none of them thinking about the fact that they were murdering the only people who could reverse the curse.

Darla shook her head in disgust. "Idiots," she murmered.

A/N3: It's kinda short,but I wanted to see if anybody would be interested in a story like this. Let me know what you think.


	2. Chapter 1: Welcome To The Hellmouth Pt 1

Chapter One

Disclaimer:

I seem to have forgotten to do this in the prologue, so...I do not own Buffy The Vampire Slayer, any of it's characters, places or situations. I own the character of Bill Doyle, and any other OC's that happen to appear, that's about it. I make no money off of this.

 _Sunnydale California 1997_

Darla sighed as she walked into a quaint little dive called Willy's Place. She had no idea why she was in Sunnydale California, of all places, something had just called her here. She thought it might be Angelus, or one of the others, but for all her searching, she'd not found any of them. She sighed again as she walked up to the bar.

Nearly 100 years had passed since those damned gypsies had cursed her with the restoration of her soul. After murdering the Kalderash, Angelus had tried to get Darla to stay with them, but she'd fled. Having a soul meant she remembered every evil act she and the others had comitted, and felt guilt and remorse for doing them. She had sired Angelus, who had in turn sired Drusilla, who sired Spike and the four of them had cut a bloody swath through Europe, eventually coming to be known at "The Whirlwind". Darla had known immediately she could no longer be a part of that unlife, nor could she witness the others as they comitted their attrocities, so, she'd fled.

Though she would always feel remorse for the things she had done, Darla had come to terms with something over time: It had not been HER doing all of those things. She had died. A demon had inhabited her body. It was the DEMON who comitted all of those acts. It may have looked like her, had her memories, and personality, but it wasn't HER. So, instead of wallowing in self pity, Darla took on a mission. She did feel SOME responsibility for these acts, particularly for siring Angelus, as she felt she had to bear at least some of the blame for the evil he and the others perpetrated, so she took on the mission to destroy that which she had created. She had wandered the globe, polishing her combat skills, then started searching for the others, never quite catching up to them.

"O-Neg?" asked the oily, scrawny man behind the bar, leering at Darla a bit. She was beautiful, with mid length blonde hair and killer blue eyes, and a petite but shapely build.

"I beg your pardon?" she asked as the bartender held a bottle of thick red liquid and a shot glass.

"O-negative,"clarified the bartender. "You look like a classy lady, and my vampire clientelle tells me that that's the good stuff."

Darla scoffed and shook her head. "Just give me a whiskey, neat," she said. "And a little information."

The bartender changed bottles and poured the drink. "The whiskey I got," he said. "The information, well, that'll cost extra."

"Just give her what she wants, Willy," came a deep voice from behind Darla. She turned to see a young man, a boy really, he couldn't be more than 16 or 17, walking up to her with an easy confidence. He was definately good looking, with an athletic build, longish black hair, and a mustache. Though he was young, his green eyes had a look that looked far older, with the weight of the world on his shoulders, and yet, had a mischevous glint to them. He was dressed in jeans, motor cycle boots, a leather jacket, and a red, button down shirt. He sat down next to Darla and gave her a cocky grin that she found at the same time, both infuriating and endearing. "And gimmee MY good stuff."

"Sure thing, Doyle," said Willy getting a glass and filling it from the soda fountain that was normally only used for mixed drinks. He slid Doyle his drink and turned back to Darla. "What did you wanna know?" he asked.

"Three vampires," Darla said. "Possibly traveling together. Two male, one female. The first male is a little taller than this guy, with dark hair and an Irish brogue. The other is shorter, with peroxide blonde hair, looks a lot like Billy Idol. The girl is slight, with thick black hair, and likely to be rambling on about soemthing or other. Any or all of them here?"

Willy looked at the ceiling, thinking. "Nah, I aint seen or heard anything about them being in town"

Darla believed him. Willy struck her as a perpetual coward, and seemed particularly afraid of the boy sitting next to her. "Thanks," she said. "If I stay in town, I'll be back to check if you've heard about them."

Willy nodded and went to serve a table of boisterous Kolhnar demons. When he was gone, Darla turned to Doyle. "Isn't this a school night?" she asked.

Doyle smirked at her. "I could ask you the same question," he said taking a long drink from his glass. "I imagine you weren't much older than me when you were turned."

Darla chuckled. "I wasn't," she said. "But I was also turned in the 16th century, so back then, I was almost a spinster."

Doyle chuckled along with her. "I never did sleep much," he said, finally answering her question. "Besides, a little bird told me you'd be here tonight."

Darla's face quickly lost all amusement. "You came looking for ME?" she asked.

"Relax," said Doyle. "You have nothing to fear from me. I just want to help you. You're looking for Angelus, Spike, and Drusilla aren't you?"

"And what if I am?" asked Darla, uncomfortable with this strange kid knowing so much about her.

"They've done a lot of evil," he said. "And if you want to take them out, I'm down with that. But have you given any thought to what happens AFTER you take them out?"

Darla sighed. "Look, Doyle," she said. "What is this all about?"

"First of all," he answered. "Willy calls me Doyle. My first name is William. You can call me Bill. Second of all, I know you're different. I know you have a soul. So, let's say you take out the other three members of The Whirlwind. I repeat, what then? You going to Disney Land?"

Darla took a drink. "I've given that absolutely no thought," she admitted. "Maybe I'll just watch the sun come up one last time."

"That's bleak," said Bill. "Darla, you have something few people have: The ability to make a difference. Sunnydale isn't like other towns. We're on top of a Hellmouth here. Evil just gravitates here. A woman of your abilities could help thin the herd, so to speak. Like I said, evil gravitates here. Angelus, Spike and Drusilla will eventually. You could do something worthwhile while you wait."

Darla shook her head. "Don't they have the Slayer for that?"

Bill grinned again. "That's what this is all about," he said." The Slayer just arrived here." He shook his head. "This is quite a time and place we live in. There's a lot of evil going down. She's going to need a loft of help."

"Let me guess," said Darla skeptically. "Help only I can give her?"

"Nah," said Bill with that same cocky grin. "I'll be helping her out too. I just thought, we could use the extra help, and it would be good for you too. Ok, ok. Not just me. The PTB sent me to talk to you."

"PTB?" asked Darla.

"Powers That Be," answered Bill. "They've taken an interest in this Slayer I'm one of their agents. The youngest one ever." He sounded proud.

"And how did YOU get so lucky?" asked Darla. "Sorry, but I don't exactly see you making the forces of evil quake in their boots."

"You REALLY need a trip over somebody's knee, don't you?" said Bill, irritated. "Like the Slayer, and yourself for that matter, there's a lot more to me than meets the eye. Anyway, we digress. The Slayer needs our help. There's a lot of serious, apocalyptic shit about to go down. And you may take a personal interest once you hear who is involved."

"If its not Angelus, Spike, or Drusilla, I'm not interested," said Darla as she got to her feet and started to leave."

"How about The Master?" called Bill.

Darla stopped, gritted her teeth and walked back to Bill. "You're an asshole,"she said, though, despite her words, she was starting to like him

"One of my most charming features," said Bill with that damned grin again.

Darla sighed and sat down. "I'm in," she said.

A/N: To Starway Man: Thank you for the review. I see you wrote a story with a similar premise. Hope you like my take on it.


	3. Chapter 2: Welcome To The Hellmouth Pt 2

A/N. Thank you for the reviews guys. This seems to be my most popular story.

To Belle Morte Rising: Well, Darla IS more intelligent than Angel, LOL. I also see her as a stronger person than Liam was, one far less likely to collpase into her own self pity after getting her soul back. She's an amazing character and I'm enjoying writing her.

Chapter Two

Bill yawned as he approached Sunnydale High. He hadn't been lying to Darla about not sleeping much, but, he'd been up almost the whole night, between meeting Darla and taking her to her new apartment, he'd only gotten an hour or two. He'd have stayed home today, knowing his grandmother wouldn't mind, but today was the day the Slayer was supposed to start school, and Bill wanted to at least get a look at her. He didn't see any new faces outside, though he WAS a little behind, and as it was her first day, she had probably gotten there early.

He finally saw her coming out of Principal Fluties office. She looked a little flustered and wasn't watching where she was going, and plowed right into a guy and a girl walking down the hall together. The two didn't stop, even though her backpack was knocked onto the floor, the contents spilling out.

Bill watched as she knelt down to gather her things. She wasn't what he'd been expecting. No taller than Darla, with a similar build, and a total popular girl princess look. She was really pretty with blonde hair. But, her eyes looked kind of sad, and Bill could see the power radiating off of her. Even without her being the only new kid, Bill would have known right away that she was the Slayer.

Bill chuckled as out of nowhere, Xander Harris knelt down next to her. Xander was a friend of Bill's, a kind of awkard geeky boy who attracted bullies like a magnet.

"Can I have you?" he asked the girl wincing when he realised what he'd said. Bill could hear every word they spoke with his enhanced hearing. The girl gave him a bemused look at his words, then he corrected himself. "Duh. Can I HELP you?"

The Slayer smiled and gave a nervous chuckle. "Thanks," she said as he started handing her her things.

"I don't know you, do I?" asked Xander.

"I'm new," said the Slayer. "I'm Buffy."

Bill shook his head. Buffy? Was her Watcher named Mr. French?

"Xander. Is me. Hi," said Xander, again wincing at his own awkwardness.

"Thanks," said Buffy.

"Maybe I'll see you around," added Xander. "At school. Since we...both go there."

"Great," said Buffy, nervously as even Bill winced at his friend. "I gotta go. Nice to meet you."

Bill saw Xander smile at Buffy as she walked off, then he got a look of disgust with himself. "We both go to school," he mocked. "Very suave. Very not pathetic." He looked and saw Buffy had missed one of the thigns that had fallen from her backpack. "Hey," he called, picking it up." You forgot your..." he looked at the object. "Stake?"

After first hour, Bill again saw Buffy, this time walkign down the hall with Cordelia Chase, the beautiful taller brunette obviously giving Buffy some sort of test. Cordelia was the most popular girl in school and had her own little entourage called The Cordettes. She seemed to be testing if Buffy was cool enough to join.

"Trendy but tasy," responded Buffy.

"John Tesh?" asked Cordelia.

"The Devil," said Buffy.

"Well, that one was pretty much a gimmee, but you passed," said Cordelia.

"Oh GOOD," said Buffy, feigning relief.

The two walked up to a water fountain where another of Bill's friends, Willow Rosenberg was getting a drink. Willow was a pretty girl with long red hair, but, she was even more awkward than Xander. She was shy and one of the smart kids, and her mother obviously picked out all of her clothes.

"Willow!" said Cordelia raising an eyebrow. "Nice dress! It's good to know you've seen the softer side of Sears!" Bill saw Buffy wince at Cordelia's sudden viciousness.

"M-my Mom picked it out," said Willow, almsot apologetically.

"No wonder you're such a guy magnet," Cordelia sniped. "Are you done?"

"Oh," said Willow, then she went down the hall.

"First rule," Cordelia said to Buffy/ "Know you losers. Once yo ucan identify them by sight, they're a lot easier to avoid." Buffy watched Willow leave then followed Cordelia to the library.

"And if you're not too swamped with catching up you should come by The Bronze tonight," Cordelia suggested.

"The who?" Buffy asked.

"The Bronze. It's the only club worth going to around here. They let anybody in but it's still the scene. It's kind of in the bad part of town." Cordy answered.

"Where's that?" asked Buffy.

"About a block and a half from the good part of town," laughed Cordelia. "We don't have a LOT of town. You should show."

"I'll try," Buffy promised.

"Good. I'll see you in gym and yo ucan tell me everything there is to know about yourself." She turned and walked off.

"Won't that be fun," muttered Buffy as she entered the library.

Bill walked over to the door and listened. Buffy appeared to have met the librarian, who introduced himself as Mr . Giles. He said he knew why Buffy was there, but whatever it was seemed to freak Buffy out. Bill moved aside just as she stormed out of the library. He watched her stalk off, frowning slightly. British librarian who said he knew what she was after. Bill suspected he had just heard Buffy meet her new Watcher.

-0-0-0-0-0

Buffy was frustrated. This was NOT how she'd wanted her first day to go. She'd had a rough meeting with principal Flutie, them her encounter with that librarian/Watcher guy. God! She just wanted to be left alone!

She saw the girl Cordelia had tormented earlier, Willow. Ok, she wanted another thing. Having had and lost popularity at her old school, Hemry High, she now had a new sympathy for the less popular kids, and she wanted to help Willow out if she could.

Buffy walked up to her. "Willow, right?" she asked.

"Why?" she asked, obviously suspicious at this new girl talking to her. "I mean, hi. Did you want me to move?"

Buffy smiled in what she hoped was a friendly way and sat down. "Why don't we start with "Hi, I'm Buffy","she said. "and segue directly into me asking you for a favor. It doesn't involve you moving but it does involve hanging out with me for a while."

Willow looked doubtful. "Aren't you hanging with Cordelia?"

"Can't I do both?" asked Buffy.

"Not legally," answered Willow.

Buffy chuckled and tried again. "Look," she said. "I really want to get by here. New school...Cordelia's been really nice...to me anyway, but I have this burning desire to...not flunk all my classes and I heard a rumor that you're the person to talk to if I want to get caught up."

Buffy grinend as she saw Willow's face light up. "Oh yeah," Willow said. "I can totally help you out. If you have sixth period free we can meet in the library..."

"Or NOT," said Buffy a little too quickly. She tried to cover. "Or, you know, maybe we could meet someplace else. Someplace...quieter. Louder. That place kind of gives me a wiggins."

"It has that effect on most kids," said Willow. "But I love it. It's got a great collection and the new librarian is really cool."

Buffy was charmed by Willows enthusiasm, then what she said sunk in. "The librarian is new?" she asked.

"Yeah, he just started," answered Willow. "He was the curator at a British museum, or THE British museum, I'm not sure which. But he knows everything, and he brought all these historical volumes and boigraphies, and am I the single dullest person alive?"

"Not at all," chuckeld Buffy. Both girls looked up as the boy Buffy had met earlier, Xander, sauntered over with another boy. He was a little taller and slimmer than Xander, with brown hair.

"Hey, you guys busy?" asked Xander. "Can we interrupt? We're interrupting."

"Hi," said Buffy chuckling, as a third boy joined them. He didn't look anywhere near as awkward as the others did, with his cocky grin and leather jacket.

"Hey there," said the brown haird boy. The black haired one in the leather jacket just smiled.

"Buffy, this is Jessee, and Bill," she gestured first to the brown haired boy, then the one with the jacket. "And that's Xander." Bill seemed to be staring at Buffy in a way that seemed like he was looking right through her. She didn't like it.

"Oh, me and Buffy go way back," said Xander casually. "Old friends. Very close. But, then there wasthat period of estrangement, where I think we were both growing as people. But, here we are, and it's like old times. I'm quite moved."

All the others watched Xander, amused, amazed and bewildered.

"Is it me," asked Jessee. "Or are you turning into a babbling idiot?"

Bill clapped Xander on the shoulder and looked at Jesse. "Oh, it's not you," he said making everybody but Xander laugh.

"Well, it's really nice meeting you guys," said Buffy, looking from Xanders babbling, to Jesse's over eagerness, to Bill's mysterious looks."I think."

"Well, we just wanted to make you feel at home," said Bill, giving Buffy a cocky grin that seemed like it could both be nice to look at, and piss her off at the same time. "Unless of course, you have a scary home."

"And to return this," Xander added pulling out the stake Buffy had dropped earlier. "The only thing i can figure out is, you're building a really little fence."

"Uh, no," said Buffy quickly grabbing the stake and shoving it in her bag. "This is for self defense. Everybody carries them in LA. Pepper spray is just SO passe." She winced inwardly. That was the lamest excuse she had ever come up with. Bill was smirking at her."

Xander gave her a not quite convinced nod. "So," he said. "What do you like? What do you do for fun? What do you look for in a man? Let's hear it."

"If you have any dark secrets we can publish," added Jesse.

"Gee," said Buffy getting really uncomfortable with the scrutiny. "Everybody wants to know about ME. Isn't that keen?"

"Well, not a lot happens in a one Starbucks town like Sunnydale," said Bill. "You're big news." Buffy gave him a look. He seemed like he knew more than he was letting on.

"I'm really not," she said.

"Are these people bothering you?" asked Cordelia as she appeared behind Jesse, a look of pure disdain on her face.

Buffy looked up in surprise. The last thing she wanted was to bring these guys under Cordelia's attention.

"And she's NOT hanging out with us," said Willow.

Hey Cordelia," said Jesse, looking totally smitten.

"Heya Cordy," said Bill, smirking.

"Oh, PLEASE," said Cordelia, looking with disgust at Jesse and irritation at Bill. She turned to Buffy. "I hate to interrupt your downward mobility, but I just wanted to tell you that you won't be able to meet Coach Foster, the woman with the chest hair, due to the extreme dead guy stuffed in Aura's locker!"

Willows eyes went wide. "D-dead?" she stammered.

"WAY dead," answered Cordelia.

"So, not just a LITTLE dead," sniped Xander.

Cordelia gave him a look that could peel wallpaper off a wall. "Don't you have an elsewhere to be?" she asked.

"If you need a shoulder to cry on...or nibble on..." offered Jesse, obviously thinking this was the height of coolness.

"How did he die?" asked Bill, suddenly all buisness.

"I don't know..." answered Cordelia.

"Were there any marks," asked Buffy, ignoring Bill's confusing behavior for now.

"God, you two," said Cordelia gving them what must be her WTF face. "Morbid much? I didn't ASK!"

Buffy stood up and grabbed her things. "Uh, look," she said. "I gotta book. I'll see you guys later." She left.

-0-0-0-0-0

Later, after school,Bill stood in Darla's apartment, drinkign a diet Pepsi, while Darla drank a mug of pigs blood. He had gone to the girls locker room right after Buffy had and seen the body was definately the victim of a vampire attack. Then he'd eavesdropped on Buffy and the librarian again and been surprised by what he'd heard.

"So, let me get this straight," Darla said to him, her voiced filled with annoyance. "You went through all that trouble last night to convince me to help the Slayer, now you don't want me to?"

Bill sighed as he looked at Darla. "You didn't hear the arguement between her and her Watcher," he said. "Clearly, something big went down back in LA. Becoming the Slayer totally ruined her life, and got her into a lot of trouble. She's trying REALLY hard to deny her calling, even if she did feel herself compelled to go and check out that body."

"All the more reason she needs our help," said Darla. Bill sat down next to the pretty blonde vampire. She was of a very similar physical type to Buffy, as if they both might try out for the same part in a tv show or something.

"I don't think so," he said thoughtfully. "I keep thinking that if we give Buffy TOO much help, she'll just decide "Great! We've got these other two. I can retire!" No. Buffy needs to do this at least mostly by herself. When she sees a bit more that she IS needed, then we can take a more active role."

"So, what do we do for now?" asked Darla, exasperatedly.

"Play the mystery card," he said. "It'll be easier for you, because I've met her. Be all cryptic warnings and such. Of course, if she is in trouble, help her out, but, mostly let her do stuff for herself."

"Ok," Darla said nodding. "What should I cryptically warn her about?"

Bill gave her a grim look.

-0-0-0-0-0

Across town, in a subterranian cave, a large vampire knelt by a pool. Other vampires milled around, some carrying torches.

"The sleeper will wake," intoned the large vampire, in an almost praying tone. "The sleeper will wake." He said the words over and over. "The sleeper will wake. The sleeper will wake, and the world will bleed." He looked upwards. "Amen."


	4. Chapter 3: Welcome To The Hellmouth Pt 3

A/N: Argh! This one is hard to write. It's kinda rough, setting it in the middle of things that happened on the show. I know what I want to do, but sometimes it feels like a lot of re-hash. Anyway, here's Chapter Three. let me know what you think.

Chapter Three

Darla sighed for what seemed like the umpteenth time since she came to this miserable little burgh. If she was going to help the Slayer, she wanted to, gee, I don't know, HELP THE SLAYER, not skulk around delivering cryptic warnings. But, she also understood what Bill had said. The Slayer needed to SEE that she was needed. So, for now, she'd play along.

Right now, she was following the Slayer, Buffy, Bill had said her name was, from a distance. She'd decided to make a game of it, and test Buffy's abilities at the same time. So, she was following, being as quiet as possible, seeing if Buffy would notice she was being followed.

Darla had to grudgingly admit, the Slayer was good. Several times, Buffy had stopped and looked around, but, so far, did not seem to have spotted Darla. The Slayer turned a corner, and Darla picked up her speed a little so as not to lose her.

Darla turned the corner, and the Slayer was nowhere in sight. She had turned down an alley, with nowhere to go but straigh ahead. She couldn't possibly have moved that fast!

Darla walked further down the alley, only to feel two feet impact with her back, sending her sprawling onto the ground. She rolled over onto her back to see a pipe jutting out from one of the buildings. From the height of the pipe, Buffy must have been doing a handstand on top of the thing, then swung down and kicked Darla. Cute. The Slayer was standing over her, a fist raised.

"Is there a problem?" asked Darla, holding out a hand placatingly as she climbed to her feet. She got a good look at the Slayer. She was as petite and pretty as Bill had described, with blonde hair that was a little darker than Darla's, and sad green eyes. Darla almost gaped as she looekd into the Slayers eyes and felt something. Something she couldn't quite describe. From the look in the Slayers eyes, she felt it too.

"Yeah, considering you've been following me for the last three block," said Buffy. "A big problem." she was reaching into her purse for soemthing. A stake probably.

"Relax," said Darla, smirking at her. "I know what you're thinking and I don't bite." Both girls relaxed a bit, and Darla looked amused. "Fact is, I thought you'd be taller. Or bigger muscles or something." She rubbed her back. "You're pretty spry though."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Seriously?" she said. "You're no bigger than me. Why do YOU get to say I'M tiny?"

Darla laughed. "Relax, Killer," she said. This girl was TOO adorable.

"Ok, stop standing there looking all mysterious and adorable and just tell me what you want."

Darla smirked in amusement as Buffy clearly had to restrain from kicking herself over the adorable comment. "I wan't thew same thing you want," she said.

"And what do I want?" asked Buffy,. clearly becoming more exasperated.

"From me?" asked Darla. "Dinner, a movie, maybe a midnight dip in a hot tub. In general." She looked at Buffy totally seriously. "To kill them. To kill them all."

Buffy made a buzzing sound. "Sorry!" she said sounding like a game show announcer. Darla was briefly apalled that she knew what a game show announcer sounded like."That's wrong, but what you do get thsi lovely watch and a years supply of Turtle Wax as a parting gift. What I want...is to be left alone!"

Darla stepped closer. She could smell the Slayers coconut-vanilla shampoo. "Do you really think that's an option anymore?" she asked. "You're standing at the mouth of Hell. And it's gettign ready to open."

She reached into her pocket and pulled out the box Bill had said to give her."Don't turn your back on this," she said, tossing the box to Buffy. "You've got to be ready."

Buffy gave her a defiant look. "For what?" she asked.

Darla gave her a cryptic look. "For the Harvest," she said as she turned to leave.

"Wait," called Buffy. "Who are you?"

Darla turned back. "Let's just say I'm a friend," she said.

Buffy gave her an exasperated look. "Well, mybe I don't WANT a friend!" she said.

Darla just shook her head. "I never said I was YOURS," she said, then continued walking.

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Buffy had entered the Bronze and found Willow, and the two were having a good conversation, though, in the back of Buffy's mind was the conversation she'd had with the strange, beautiful, blonde. Buffy's thoughts were actually of the girl herself, rather than her words. There was jsut something about her that made Buffy's tummy feel...all fluttery. She totally didn't understand.

Suddeenly, she noticed someone on the clubs upper level. What the Hell was he doing here? She turned to Willow. "Uh, I'll be back in a minute," she said.

"Oh, that's ok," Willow assured her. "You don't have to come back."

Buffy smiled at her new friend. "I'll be back in a minute," she repeated.

She found the stairs and ascended to the second level, finding him standing at the railing, overlooking the lower level. She stepped up next to him and said casually," So, you like to party with the students? Isn't thjat kinda skanky?"

Giles tone was withering. "Right, this is me having fun. Watching clown hair prance around is certainly MY idea of a party. I'd much rather be home with a cup of bovril and a good book."

Buffy grinned and shook her head. "You need a personality, stat."

"This is the perfect breeding ground for vampiric activity," he admonished her. Dark, crowded...Beside, I figured you'd show up, and I have to make you nderstand..."

"The Harvest is coming," interrupted Buffy. "I know, your friend told me."

Giles started and gave her an anxious look. "What did you say?" he asked.

"The...Harvest," said Buffy carefully. "That's what your friend said. Does that mean anything to you? Because, I'm drawing a blank."

"I'm not sure," said Giles thoughtfully. "Who told you this?"

"This girl," said Buffy, fingering the cross she was wearing. It had been what was in the box Mystery Girl had given her. "My height, blonde, REALLY pretty," she stared off for a moment, then added," in an annoying sort of way. I thought she was a friend of yours."

"No," said Giles, confused bo0th by Buffy's words and the way she was acting. "Did she say anything else?"

"Just soemthing about the mouth of Hell,"said Buffy irritably. "I really didn't like her!"

Giles nodded thoughtfully, and the two observed the crowd for a moment in silence, as the kids bopped and swayed to the rythm of the band.

"Look at them," Giles said, sounding almost annoyed. "Throwing themselves about, completely unaware of the danger that surrounds them."

Buffy didn't look at him. "Lucky them," she said wistfully.

"Or, you could be right," Giles conceded. "Maybe there is no trouble brewing. The signs have been wrong before. It's not like you're having the dreams."

Buffy started, thinking of the nightmare she'd had before school this morning. She sighed and looekd back at the crowd.

"Look," she said to Giles. "It's not like I'm saying I'll NEVER slay another vampire. If I run into one sure. I'm just not going to get way extra curricular with it." It sounded lame, even to her own ears.

"But will you be ready?" asked Giles. "There's so much you don't know about them, about your own powers. A vampire appears to be a normal human, until the feed is upon them. Only then do they reveal their demonic visage."

"Demonic visage?" quoted Buffy. "You're like a walking thesaurus. Besides, I KNOW all this!"

Ignoring Buffy's outburst, Giles continued. "The point is, a Slayer should be able to see them anyway. Without looking. Without thinking. Can you tell me if there's a vampire in this building?"

Buffy scanned the crowd. "Maybe?" she said.

"You should KNOW!" Giles said. "Even through this mass and this...din. You shoudl be able to sense them. Try. Reach out with your mind."

Buffy took a deep breath and looked out over the crowd.

"You have to hone your senses,"instructed Giles. "Focus unti lthe energy washes over you..."

"There's one," Buffy interrupted.

"What?" asked Giles, looking down at the crowd. "Where?"

Buffy pointed. "Right there,"she said. "Talking to that girl."

In the far corner, a good looking young man was talking to a girl who had her back to them.

Giles looked doubtful. "Buit you don't KNOW..."

"Oh, please," interrupted Buffy. "That jacket? With the sleeves all rolled up? Deal with that outfit for a moment!"

Giles looked. "It's dated?" he asked.

"It's CARBON dated!" answered Buffy. "Vampires always think fashioend ended the year they died. Trust me, only someone who's been skulking underground for at least ten years would think that was the look!"

"But...but you didn't hone..." began Giles.

"Oh NO," exclaimed Buffy suddenly, pointing.

The vampire was stil lchatting with the girl, motioning for her to come with him. He stepped aside and the girl turned, and Buffy's stomach dropped.

"Isn't that..." Giles began.

"Willow," said Buffy.

"What is she doing?"

"Seizing the moment," Buffy threw back at him as she headed off towards the stairs.

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Bill was running late. He had this feeling he needed to be at the Bronze tonight, but, his grandmother had needed his help. The kindly woman had taken him in when his mother...a few years ago, and Bill owed her a lot. She was nearly 80 and frail, but with a bombastic personality.

Bill threw his jacket on and left the house. He looekd around, saw nobody was watching, and started running, much faster than he should have been able to. Maybe not Roadrunner fast, but fast.

He was about halfway to the Bronze, when he was suddenly thrown off his feet and clutched his head The pain only lasted for a second, but the images flashing through his head lasted a moment longer.

A cemetary. Restfield.

Vampires. With three prisoners.

Willow. Xander. Jesse.

His friends were in danger.

Bill had thought he was supposed to try to stick close to the Slayer tonight, but, the Powers only sent him visions when it was important. He got to his feet, shook his head, and started running towards Restfield Cemetary.

He got there in time to see Jesse being dragged out of sight by a girl. Xander was unconcious and being dragged, and Willow was over the shoulder of another vampire. There were four vamps in all. He shook his head and reached into his pocket for a stake. He took a deep breath and...changed. His eyes turned red, his skin turned blue and little spines popped out of his face, kind of like a puffer fish. Feeling the surge of strength that came with letting out hsi other half, he ran down to save his friends.

He reached Willow first. He came up from behind, plunging his stake into the back of the vampire carrying her, making it burst into dust. He cought Willow and slowly lowered her to the ground. The other vampires heard the commotion. The one dragging Xander let go of him as he and the other male vampire turned to face Bill. The female, reluctant to give up her prize, took off.

Bill took a defensive stance as the two vampire rushed him. He was an accomplished brawler, and had taken soem karate classes. The first vampire took a swing at him which Bill ducked, the tucked his shoulder into the vamps stomach, then straightned up, sending the vamp to the ground. He kicked it in the side as the other vamp came in more carefully. Bill swung first, but the vamp blocked his punch and aimed one at Bill's stomach. Bill dodged aside, but took a punch to the face. The vampire roared as his knuckles tore on Bill's face spines/ "You'll pay fir that, Brachen," the vamp growled and threw another punch. Bill caughts the vamps fist, headbutted him, his spines barely missing it's eyes, then brought a knee up into it's groin. The vamp fell to the ground and Bill drove his stake home. Suddenly, the other vampire, who he'd almsot forgotten was on his back. This one was clearly NOT the fighter Bill was, so Bill threw it off and staked it.

He turned to make sure Willow and Xander were ok, then saw the dimunitive form of Buffy coming this way. He took off in the direction the vampire had taken Jesse. Alas, try as he might, he couldn't find them.

"Jesse," he muttered sadly.

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	5. Chapter 4: The Harvest Pt 1

A/N: I apologise for the time between updates. I hate to let people down when this is my most popular story. As I've mentioned, for some reason, this is my hardest one to write,but I am definately not going to give up on it.

Chapter Four

Jesse stumbled along as the two weirdo's dragged him underground. What was up with their faces? They'd spoken a little, and Jesse got that the big dude's name was Luke and the girl was called Sheila. He looked around as they dragged him through the tunnels, and into what almost looked like the remains of an old church, only, underground. The big guy had him by the neck as all three stood and waited.

A figure moved out from the shadows. A man? stepped out. His skin was pale and he was even uglier than the other two. He just radiated power and it was obvious the other two both revered and feared him.

He looked at Jesse. "For me?" he asked.

"An offering, Master," said Luke.

"He's a good one, Master,"said Sheila, excitedly. "His blood is pure."

The man they called Master turned to look at her. "You've tasted it," he said, a statement, not a question. Sheila shrank back. "I'm your loyal dog," he said. "You bring me scraps."

Sheila practically shook with fear. "I-I didn't mean," she stammered.

"I have waited,"said the Master dangerously. "For three score years, I have waited. While you come and go, I have been stuck HERE," he looked around in disgust."in this house of WORSHIP!" He moved closer to Sheila. "My ascension is almost at hand. Pray that when it comes I'm in a better mood!"

"M-master," said Sheila. "Forgive me. We had more offerings, but there was trouble. A girl, and-and a Brachen! The Brachen killed Pete, and Rick and...that other guy."

"A BRACHEN?" thundered the Master. "Are you seriously trying to tell me a Brachen killed three of my minions? How useless ARE you people? Brachen are barely above humans!"

"This one was strong, Master," protested Sheila.

"And as Sheila said, there WAS a girl," added Luke. "She fought well, and she knew of our breed. It's possible she may have been..."

"A Slayer," finished the Master in wonder. "Have you any proof?"

"Only that she fought me and yet lives," Luke answered.

The Master nodded. "Very nearly proof enough. I honestly can't remember the last time that happened."

Luke looked at the floor in shame. "It was 1843, Madrid," he said. "He caught me sleeping."

The Master nodded. "She must not be allowed to interfere in the Harvest," he said thoughtfully.

Lukes eyes went wide. "I would NEVER let that happen!"

"You needn't worry," said the Master, reassuringly. "I believe she'll come to us. We have soemthing she wants. If she is indeed a Slayer, and this boy lives, she will come to save him."

Luke smield and stepped closer to Jesse. Jesse nearly fainted when Luke smiled at him.

"I thought you merely a meal, boy," he said. "but you've jsut been upgraded. To BAIT!"

"Uh, yay me?" said Jesse, wishing in the moment he was literally ANYWHERE else.

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Darla rolled her eyes as Bill paced the floor of her living room. Of course, he'd had ANOTHER turn around.

"So, let me get this straight," she snarked. 'I come to town looking for Angelus and the others. You convince me we have to help the Slayer. Then you MEET the Slayer and decide we have to hang back for the time being, let her see she's needed. So, I play it your way, I give her cryptic warnings while she checks me out. And now, NOW, you want to go into the tunnels and do her job for her? What exactly IS your brilliant plan, Hannibal Smith? To confuse the hell out of everybody?"

"First off," said Bill, giving her that grin. "her checking you out was never part of the plan. That is entirely between you two." Darla just rolled her eyes again. This guy seemed to make her do that a lot. "And second. I thought you knew by now. I'm making this up as I go along. The PTB just told me to recruit you and help the Slayer. They didn't exactly give me an instruction manual." He sighed and looked at her. "And third, everything changed when they took Jesse. I have to help him. He Xander and Willow are my friends. You DO know what it's like to have friends don't you?" When she just looked away, he added quietly," That wasn't supposed to be a stumper."

Darla looked back at him and smiled softly. "I have you," she said. He smiled back. "And yeah, I get it. I'm just frustrated."

"I know,"said Bill. "So, there's an entrance to the tunnel system in that mausoleum. Since that's where she fought Luke, I'm betting Buffy will figure that out and show up there."

Darla nodded. "There's also access in the alley out back. Which I assume is why you chose this building. I THINK I can find my way to the mausoleum entrance. I assume you'll be meeting the Slayer at the mausoleum?"

"Yeah,"said Bill. "I just hope we're not too late!"

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Buffy, Xander and Giles all stood around as Willow called up city plans for the sewer system on the computer in the library. They had come to the library first thing this morning to fill in the Watcher on what had gone down with the vampires and Jesse and the mystery guy who had saved Willow and Xander. Willow had said that there was soemthing weird about his face, but it was not the same as the vampires. Giels had given them the "one girl in all the world"spiel, then after soem more discussion, they'ddecided to look up the plans for the city's underground tunnel system. So far, the map of the sewer system was a bust.

"So, all the city plans are just open to the public?" Giles asked Willow.

"Er, in a manner of speaking." Answered Willow, nervously. " I sort of ...accidently decrypted the city council's security system."

"Someone's been naughty," sing songed Xander, sounding at least soemwhat admiring.

"There's no access!" snapped Buffy. "This is useless!"

"I think you should ease up on yourself," said Giles, trying to console her.

"YOU'RE the one who said I wasn't prepared enough," snapped Buffy. "Understatement much? I thought i was on top of it, but if it wasn't for that mystery guy, Willow and Xander would have been taken along with Jesse! That monster Luke came out of NOWHERE..." She stopped and gazed off into space.

"What?" asked Xander worriedly.

Buffy replayed the events from last night in her head. "He didn't come from out of nowhere," she said. "He came from BEHIND me! I was facing the entrance. God! I am SO mentally challenged! The access to the tunnels is in the mausoleum!"

"I'm sure," said Buffy nodding. "That girl must have doubled back with Jesse after I left."

"So, we saddle up, right?" said Xander, obviously jonesing to go save Jesse.

"There's no WE in this, Xander," said Buffy. "I'm the Slayer. This is MY responsibility!"

"I knew you'd throw the Slayer thing in my face," Xander grumbled.

"Xander," pleaded Buffy. "This is deeply dangerous."

"No, I get it," said Xander turining away. "I'm inadequate. I'm less than a man."He turned away.

"Buffy,"said Willow, plaintively. "I'm not anxious to go charging into a den of demons, but I want to help. I-I need to."

"Then help me," said Giles, latching onto Willow's strengths. "I've been researching this Harvest. It seems to be soem sort of pre-ordaiend massacre. Rivers of blood, Hell on earth, etc. I'm fuzzy on the details, hwoever, so, perhaps yo ucoudl wrest soem answers from this dread machine." Hew paused as they all looked at him. "That was terribly British, wasn't it?"

Buffy smiled for the first time that morning. "Welcome to the new world," she quipped.

"I want you to go on the net," translated Giles, a little irritably.

"Oh, that I can do," said Willow brightly. "I'm SO totally net girl!"

"Then I'm out of here," saidBuffy, looking back and forth between them. "If Jesse's still alive, I'll bring him back."

"Do I need to TELL you to be careful?" asked Giles, his expression softening.

Buffy looked into his eyes for a long moment, almsot smiled, then turned and left.

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Bill stood outside the mausoleum and watched as Buffy entered. He smirked a bit and stealthily went inside after her. He saw her try the iron door on the other side of the crypt, but it was locked. She lowered her arms to her sides and let out a breath.

"You wouldn't happen to have a key on you, would you?" she asked, surprising him, He had no idea she knew he was there

He put on his patented grin as she turned to face him. He saw her eyes go a little wide. Ok, so she hadn't known it was HIM. He shook his head. "They really don't like me just dropping in," he said.

"And why is that?" she asked, hands on her hips.

His smirk got a little wider. "They really don't like me."

"Gee," said Buffy, her toen dripping sarcasm. "How could that possibly be?"

"I know, right?" said Bill, looking affronted. Then he changed the subject. "I knew you'd figure out this entrance sooner or later."He shook hsi head a little. "Truthfully? I thought it'd be a LITTLE sooner."

"Oh, so sorry to keep you waiting!" snapped Buffy. "Look, Bill, what is your deal? I know you're not a vampire, but Willow said you took out three of them last night."

"Relax,"said Bill, placatingly. "I'm human." Figuring Willow had seen his Brachen face last night and probably told the Slayer, he faked a sneeze, termporarily showing his "game face". "On my mothers side," he conceded. "Damn crypt dust. Look, we really don't have time for this. I swear, I'm here to help. Jesse IS my friend."

Buffy looked at him for a long moment, clearly thinking over wether or not to trust him. "Ok,"she said. "You've still got some explaining to do, but, let's go."

"Wait," said Bill. "You should let me take care of this. You really shouldn't put yoruself at risk. The Harvest is tonight, and unless you can prevent it, the Master walks."

"Look," said Buffy, exasperatedly. "If this Harvest is such a suckfest, why don't YOU stop it?"

"I'M not the Slayer," he answered. "I'm just here to help."

"Well, I AM going down there, so eaither help me or stay out of my way!" Buffy said. He responded by putting on hsi game face and stepping up next to him. Together, they kicked the door open and entered.

Slowly carefully, they walked down a flight of stairs, entering the tunnel system proper. There, they found Darla waiting.

"Relax," said Bill, as Buffy tensed. "She's with me. I think you two have already met, but, Buffy, this is Darla." He saw the look or recognition on Buffy'sface. He could also see what Darla had meant, Een in this dim light, Buffy was checking Darla out. He wondered if Darla rrealised she was checking Buffy out too.

Buffy shook her head. "It figures," she muttered. Then looked at Darla. "Darla. That's pretty."

"Pretty name for a pretty lady?" smirked Darla.

"Yeah," said Buffy a bit dreamily, Then she shook her head. "I mean, no, just a pretty name. Not that you're NOT pretty." She stood there clearly mentally berating herself.

"Thanks," said Darla. "You're kinda cute yourself."

This time it was Bill who rolled his eyes. "Look, can we take a commercial break from The Saaphic Dating Game and go find Jesse?" Darla gave him an "if looks could kill" look but Buffy just started stammering.

They all turned suddenly as they heard a scuffle behind them. Thjey turned to see a familiar face.

"Xander!" said Buffy. "What are you doing here?"

"Something stupid," said Xander. "I couldn't jsut sit around and do nothing."

"Well, you're gonna HAVE to," said Bill.

"Look, Jesse's my friend as much as he is yours," said Xander. Then he got a good look at Bill's game face. "YOU were the guy from last night!" he said. Bill just nodded. "Look, if I can help Jesse, then that's what I have to do. Besides, it's this or chem class."

Buffy regarded him for a long moment, then nodded.

"You can't be serious," said Bill.

"This just gets better and better," said Darla.

Without further comment, the foursome headed off down the dorridor, stopping at the end to listen. They chsoe a direction and headed down anotehr corridor.

"Ok," said Xander. "So, crosses, garlic, stake through the heart?"

"That'll get it done," said Buffy nodding.

"Cool, of course, I don't actually have any of those things," said Xander.

Bill shook hsi head and pulled a cross out of his pocket and handed it to Xander who nodded in thanks.

"I do have this though," said Xander, switching on a flashlight.

"Turn that off, "hissed Bill as Xander scrambled to do as he was told. "You want to let everyvampire in Sunny D know we're here?"

"Ok, ok," saidXander. "So what else, for the slayage."

Darla rolled her eyes. "Sunlight, holy water, fire, beheading...the usual."

"I take it you've done some beheadings?" asked Xander.

"I can't speak for them,"said Buffy. "But there was this one time, I was pinned down by this vamp who played varsity tackle, well ,before being turned, anyway, he had one of those really thick necks, and all I had was this little x-acto knife, so I..."

"Slayer," said Darla, chuckling. "I don't think your little friend is loving the story."

Xander shuddered a bit. "Actually, I find it oddly comforting," he said.

"You're weird, Harris," said Bill, shaking his head.

The four walked along in silence for a bit, each lost in their own thoughts.

"They're close," announced Buffy.

"How can you tell?" asked Xander.

"No more rats,: pointed out Darla.

Xander shook his head. "I never thought "no rats" would constitute BAD news."

"What's that?" asked Bill, hos half demon eyes better in the dark than Buffy or Xanders human eyes. Darla looked where he was pointing and nodded. The four walked forward.

It was a body, lying face down on the floor.

"Jesse," said Xander, kneeling down. "Oh no," he took Jesse by the shoulder only to barely dodge a punch.

"Get off me you...Xander?" said Jesse.

"Jesse, you ok?" asked Bill, ehlping him stand.

"Man, I am not ok on an epic scale," said Jesse, seeming to barely keep himself coherent. "We gotta get out of her, like NOW!"

"It's ok," said Xander. "Buffy and Bill are, like, super heros." He indicated Darla. "I'm not sure what HER deal is."

Jesse, nodded, then put a hand on Buffy's arm as shey all turned back. "Wait," he said. "I know a faster way!"

Bill froze for a moment, then gave Jesse a strange look. "Oh, shit," he said and punched Jesse square in the face, knocking him back.

"What the hell?" asked Buffy, but then she looekd at Jesse.

His face had morphed into full vamp mode.

"Jesse," Xander practically whimpered. Suddenly, they heard movement down the route Jesse had been about to lead them.

Darla looked down the corridor. "Run," she said.

"Yeah," said Buffy. "I think you're right!"

The four took off down from the way they came, propelling Xander along ahead of them. They heard the vampire hoard behind them getting closer and closer. Luckily, Bill, Darla and Buffy all had a good sense of direction and coudlk tell they were headed the right way.

"They're close," said Bill, as the foursome reached the stairs. "Buffy, get Xander out of here!" he yelled. "We'll hold them off then get out of here when we make a hole."

"Are you crazy?" yelled Buffy. "I can't leave you!"

Bill grabbed Xander and Darla grabbed Buffy and hurlded them halfway up the stairs. The two then turned and stood side by side in the doorway, there being no room for Buffy anyway.

"Be careful," she whispered as she usheered Xander up the stairs and out of the crypt.

Bill and Darla each brandished stakes, and thrust them out, taking the first two vampires directly in the heart. As they exploded into dust, Bill punched one and Darla kicked another. This must be a scouting party, as there weren't as many of them as it had sounded like. The y fought for a few more minuted, punching and kicking and staking. Soon, they had taken out all of the vamps who were with them and had tiem for a breather.

"Go," said Darla. "I came from this way. Hopefully, they'll think I went with you." Without giving him time to argue, she took off down a corridor.

Bill shook his head, and then went up the stairs and out into the daylight.

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	6. Chapter 5 The Harvest Pt 2

A/N: Wow. Over 1000 views! Not sure if that actually means it's been READ that many times, but it's cool! Glad this story seems to be being enjoyed.

To PTJ: Sorry to hear you don't care for Bill. He's growing on both Buffy and Darla, maybe he'll grow on you too. LOL.

A/N2: A thanks to APhantasm for their story "A Charmed Summers". I keep referencing this story to help myself remember the exact chain of events in the tv episode. Easier to switch back and forth between stories than to have the DVD in because that can just distract me, LOL. Thanks APhantasm.

Chapter Five

Giles sat alone in the library, pouring through his dusty old tomes, looking for mention of this Harvest. He found something likely.

"For they shall gather," he read aloud to himself. "and be gathered. All that is theirs, shall be his. From the Vessel pours life." He paused a moment to ponder that. "Pours life." He thought for a moment then turned the page, to see an engraving. In the engraving, a bestial fellow was holding his hand out, commanding a throng of villagers, all of whom were bleeding. Below, in a hellish landscape, a demon was glowing with power. On the bestial ones forhead there was a crude symbol. A star with three points. Giels continued to read.

"On the night of the crescent moon, the first past the solstice, it will come," He stopped and looked up. "Tonight!" He heard the library door open and looked over. "Buffy?" he called hopefully.

"Sorry, it's just me," said Willow, shaking her head. "So, no word?"

Giles sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Not as yet," he said tiredly.

"Well, said Willow hopefully. "I'm sure they're just great."

Giles nodded. "Did you find anything of interest?" he asked.

Willow spread some computer printouts onto Giles' desk. "I think maybe," she said. "I looked through some old newspapers, around the time of that big earthquake back in '37. And for several months before that, there was a rash of murders."

"Great!" Giles exclaimed excitedly, then looked a little chagrained. "I...I mean not great in a GOOD way...Go on."

Willow flipepd through the printed articles. "They sound like the kind you were looking for. Throats, blood, minths, and not even a clue."

Giles looked at the articles Willow was showing him and shook his head. "it's all coming together. And I rather wish it weren't!"

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In the sunken church, the Master stood at his alter, watching as Sheila and another of his minions lit a series of candles along each wall leading up to the alter. He listened halfheartedly to the chanting of his minions. He was fuming. Al lthe work baiting the trap, and the thrice damned Slayer had gotten away, again being helped by that accursed Brachen! Ah well, he thought. "I'm glad the Slayer is so strong. It wil lbe nice having someone WORTH killing when I rise. He turned his attention back to the ritual.

Luke stepped forward, removing his shirt, and walked towards the Master and kneeling at his feet. The Master held his hand forward, and Luke reverently kissed it. The Master turned his hand with his open palm up so Luke could kiss that was well. Then, Luke gently took the Masters wrist in his hand, pressed his lips to it...

And bit into it. The Master winced and closed his eyes. Luke fed for a moment, then reared his head back with unholy pain.

"My blood runs with yours," intoned the Master. "My soul is your province."

"My body is your instrument," said Luke.

The Master dipepd hsi finger tip in the blood flowing from his wrist, and used it to paint the three pointed star on Lukes forhead. When he was done, he turned to face the assembled and spoke:

"On this most hallowed night,we are one. Luke is the vessel. Every soul he takes shall feed me. Their souls will grant me the power to free myself. Tonight I will walk the Earth... and the stars themselves will hide."

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Bill had caught up with Buffy and Xander outside the mausoleum. He'd given them some half assed excuse about Darla, then Buffy had insisted she go see her Watcher, Giles with them. The three walked into the library to find Giles and Willow sitting there.

Willow stood. "Did you find Jesse?" she asked. Then realised Bill was there. "Bill?" she asked.

Xander stared at the ground, not even looking at Willow. "yeah," he said, tersely.

Willow closed her eyes. Bill could see she already knew the answer, but she asked anyway. "Was he dead?"

"Worse," answered Bill, softly.

"I'm sorry, Willow," said Buffy sadly. "We were too late. And they were waiting for us."

Willow shook her head. "At least you three are ok," she said, sadly.

Xander took a moment to kick a trash can across the room in frustration. "I don't like vampires," he announced. "I'm gonna to take a stand and say, they're not good!"

Willow started towards Xander, but stopped and took a good long look at Bill. Recognition dawned on her face. "It was YOU from last night!" she said. "The guy who saved us, and tried to save Jesse."

"Yeah, that was me," said Bill, still feeling the shame of not having gotten there sooner.

"Oh, right," said Buffy. "Giles, this is Bill Gordon. Bill, this is my Watcher, Giles."

The two nodded at each other.

"So," said Buffy. "We've finally got a moment where nobody is trying to kill us. What is your deal? What's up with the blue face and spines?"

Bill sighed. He'd known all along he'd have to explain, but the story was still hard for him. "My mother is human," he answered. "My father is a demon." He morphed to his Brachen face."

"A Brachen," said Giles in wonder.

"Give the man a glass of port and a cigar," Bill said nodding. "You've heard of them?"

"Yes," said Giles, removing his glasses and chewing the earpiece. "Brachen are a mostly benign race of demons," he explained to Buffy, Willow and Xander. "They were once a proud and powerful warrior race. Then, most of them were annihilated by a rival demon clan. After that, they spent their time trying to avoid trouble, and attempting to blend in as well as possible. Some learned to mimic the human appearance. Some intermarry with human women. Their offspring can take both forms, getting slightly stronger and faster when they take on their demon form."

"That's right," Bill nodded.

"Wait, though," said Buffy. "I'm a pretty good judge, and I'd say you were almost as strong as me in you human form,l then, when you changed, you got, probably just a little stronger than me."

"Yeah," said Bill. "We used to all be that strong. Then, over years of trying to blend in, we lost most of our power. Though, every once in awhile, a throwback is born, one who is already stronger and faster in human form, then gets even stronger when putting on what I call my "game face". I also have something I call "The Sight". I can tell by looking at someone if they are normal humans, or supernatural, and can even identify what type, if it's one I'm familiar with." He turned to Buffy. "You sort of glow for me. A little bird told me the Slayer was starting school here today. Even if you WEREN'T the only new girl, I would have known you were the Slayer."

"That's how you knew Jesse had been turned," said Xander softly.

"Yeah, said Bill. "So, my Dad was a Brachen who could take human form. He met my mother, and they fell in love. They got married, and a couple of years later, I was born. For the first fourteen years, I thought I was human. Then, I started notcing I was a lot stronger and faster than I should be. Then one day, I sneezed, and accidently put on my game face in front of my mother. It totally freaked her out. See, Dad never told her the truth. You know how most people turn a blind eye to weird stuff, like vampires and demons? Well, Mom was a shining example of that. So, Dad finally told the truth, and she lost it. Had to be comitted and everything. Dad left, and I went to live with my grandmother.' He shook his head. He still felt a lot of guilt over his mothers mental state.

"That explains a lot,"said Willow. She turned to Buffy and Giles. "Bill used to play football the first part of our freshman year. Then, we he turned fifteen, just before thanksgiving, he wound up quitting the team and became a loner. He started hanging out with me and Xander and...Jesse."

"Yeah," said Bill. "So, a couple of weeks ago, I was approached by The Powers That Be."

"Powers That Be?" askedBuffy.

"They're higher beings," explained Giles. "They never intervene directly, but they do employ agenst on Earth, to help maintain the balance."

"That's right," said Bill. "They explained to me the throwback part of my demon side. They offered me a 'job" as their agent. The youngest ever, I might add. They told me Sunnydale stands over a Hellmouth, and that evil just sort of gravitates here. They said the Slayer was coming, and she needed help. On top of my physical abilities, they gave me, sort of psychic visions. They send me visions when they think either you, or even I, need to take care of something going on. Only a demon or a half demon can handle the visions. A normal human's, even a Slayer's, brain would eventually explode from the visions. A full demon can bear them with no problem. A normal half demon would experience excrutiating pain during the vision, then take some time to recover. Me? It hurts like hell for a moment, then goes away, and I recover by the time the vision is over. So, I'm here to help. Both physically and with the visions."

"What about that girl who was in the tunnels with us?" asked Xander. "Darla."

Bill smirked as Buffy took extra notice when Darla's name was mentioned. "Darla is here to help," he said. "that's really all I can tell you. It's HER story to tell. I was told she was coming to town and she could help, and was told to recruit her. So, that's what I did."

"So, where was she last night?" asked Buffy. "Why didn't she help, instead of jsut giving me that cryptic warninbg about the Harvest?"

Bill looked embarassed. "I told her to," he said. "I overheard you and Giles arguing yesterday, and I saw how you were trying to deny your calling. So, I told Darla to play it cool and mysterious. Be honest, Buffy. What would you have done if we had just told you we were here?"

"I probably would have decided you two could handle it," said Buffy, ruefully.

"Wait a minute," said Xander, looking angry. "If Darla had been there last night, she might have made a difference and we might have saved Jesse! This is YOUR fault!" He threw a clumsy, angry punch at Bill, who caught the fist and pulled Xander closer, again, temporarily putting on hsi game face.

"You REALLY don't want to do that!" he snarled at Xander. "I already feel guilty enough about Jesse. I don't want to have to add cleaning your clock to it." The two stared each other down for a moment, then Xander finally backed off. Bill released his fist, then went back to his human face. Xander glared and stepped away from him.

Buffy sighed and turned to Giles. "So, Giles,"she said. "have you got anything that could possibly make this day any worse?"

Giles sighed too. "How about the end of the world?" he asked.

"I knew I could count on you,"said Buffy, ironically.

"This is what we know," said Giles going into full lecture mode. "some sixty years ago, a very old, very powerful vampire came to this shore. And not just to feed."

"He came because this town is a mystical whosit?" Buffy concluded, as she Bill and Xander sat down.

"Yes,"said Giles. "The Spanish who first settled here called it Boca Del Infierno, roughly translated to The Hellmouth. A sort of portal, from this reality to the next. The vampire hoped to open it."

"And bring the demons back ," piped in Bill.

"The end of the world,"said Xander.

"But he blew it," Willow picked up the story. "Or, I mean, there was an earthquake that swallowed about half the town. And him too. Or, at least, there were no more vampire type killings afterward."

Giles pulled up a chair, a thoughtful look on his face. "Opening dimensional portals is a tricky buisness," he said. "Odds are, he got himself stuck, like a cork in a bottle."

"And this Harvest thing is to get him out?" Xander asked.

"It comes once every century," said Giles. "On this night. A Master can draw on the power from one of its minions as it feeds. Enough power to break free and open the portal. The minion is called the Vessel, and he bears this symbol." He pointed d to a sketch of the three pointed star.

"So," said Buffy, making an attempt at cheerfulness. "I just dust anybody sporting this look, and no Harvest."

Giles blinked and nodded. "Simply put, yes," he confirmed.

"Any clue where this little get togethr is being held?" asked Buffy.

"Well, there are any number of possibilities..." began Giles.

"Suddenly, pain exploded in Bills head. "Gaaaaah!" he exclaimed, falling out of his seat. Just as quickly, he climbed back up, the vision flowing through his brain. A large vampire with a that symbol on his forehead, feeding off of a young girl. Vampires bringing more victims up to him. A very familair background.

"Are you having a vision?" asked Willow, leaning forward.

"Yeah,"saidBill as the vision faded. "I know where they're gonna be. The Bronze."

"Are you sure?" asked Buffy.

"Come on, it makes perfect sense," said Xander. "Tasty young morsels all over the place. Anyway, that's where Jesse's gonna be. Trust me."

"Then we need to get there,"said Giles, sounding tense. "The sun wil lbe down before long."

All five of them rose and started towards the door.

"I gotta make a stop first, though," said Buffy. "Won't take long."

"Me too, actually," said Bill.

"What for?" asked Giles.

"Supplies," said Buffy, matter of factly.

"Darla,"said Bill. "We need all the help we can get. She doesn't live far from the Bronze."

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	7. Chapter 6: The Harvest Pt 3

A/N: This chapter will be the first to show some of Buffy's home life. For the record, I'll be using Dawn Summers. She's still the Key, but I'm writing it this way because Buffy and company would REMEMBER Dawn being there thanks to those wacky monks.

A/N2: I realize updates have been a little slow. I've been sick, busy, and had some problems with inspiration lately. Thanks for all the support this story has gotten.

Chapter Six: The Harvest Pt 3

Buffy quietly entered her house and went up to her bedroom. She had to hurry. Dusk was already approaching. She went into her room and immediately to her closet.

"Mom's looking for you," came a voice from behind her. Buffy turned to see an entity that was at the same time a pest and an ally, annoying and loved.

In short, her ten year old sister, Dawn. Dawn was a cute kid, a little small for her age but "growing like a weed", SOME compliment, to quote their grandparents, with long brown hair and expressive greyish blue eyes. Dawn was perceptive, for an ten year old, and had known something was up with Buffy back in LA. She didn't know about Buffy being the Slayer, but, she trusted her sister when she said she wasn't doing anything BAD, though Dawn wondered how burning down a school gymnasium was not doing something bad, so, she had covered for Buffy when she needed to. This need was becoming more frequent since their parents divorce and their move to Sunnydale. Mom was a lot more attentive now than she'd been in LA. "She got a call from your principal today," Dawn warned.

"Thanks for the warning, Dawnie," said Buffy giving her sister a smile just as she heard her Mom's voice call "Buffy?" A moment later, Joyce Summers walked into the room. Joyce was an attractive woman with curlyish blond hair. Everybody said buffy favored Joyce, but, she'd not gotten her Mom's height. Buffy continued rooting through her closet, pretending not to hear.

"Are you going out?" Joyce asked, in that challenging way only a mother could speak.

"I have to," answered Buffy simply.

"I didn't hear you come in last night," said Joyce. Dawn didn't move, showing some solidarity for her sister.

"I was quiet," answered Buffy.

Joyce paused for a moment. "it's happening again, isn't it?" she finally said, a tired tone in her voice.

Buffy stopepd what she was doing and looked at her.

"I got a call from your new principal today," said Joyce, now definately not pleased. "He said you missed some classes today."

"I was...running an errand," said Buffy, lamely. She puleld an old trunk out of her closet and opened it.

"We haven't even finished unpacking," said Joyce worried. "it's only yoru second day and I'm already getting calls."

Buffy glanced out the window at the darkening sky. She looked back to her mother, a note of desperation in her voice. "Mom, I promise, it's not gonna be like it was before, but, I HAVE to go."

"No," said Joyce, simply.

"Wait, what?' said Buffy, confused. She couldn't remember the last time Joyce had simply said "No".

Joyce, perhaps a touch awkwardly, stood her groung. "I said "no" Buffy,"she said, setting her jaw. "The tapes all say I should get used to saying it.

No."

"Mom," pleaded Buffy, trying to keep the whine out of her voice. "This is really really important."

"I know," said Joyce with a wave of her hand. " You have to go or it'l lbe the end of the world. I was a sixteen year old girl once. Everything is life or death."

Buffy sighed. "Mom, I really don't have time to talk about this," she said.

"You have all the time in the world," said Joyce, shaking her head sadly. "You're not going anywhere. You can stay up here and sulk if you want to, but I'm going downstairs to make dinner. If you want to come down and eat with us, Dawn and I would love to have you." She left the room and closed the door, quietly but firmly behind her.

Dawn gave Buffy a look once she was sure their Mom was out of earshot. "You're still going, aren't you?" she asked.

Buffy stepped forward and ran her fingers through Dawn's hair affectionately. "Dawnie, I HAVE to,"she said. She looekd into her baby sisters eyes. Giles and Bill had said this Harvest shindig was a huge deal, end of the world huge, and Buffy knew, she had to stop it, for Dawn and her Mother most of all.

Dawn looked at her and nodded. "I'll try to keep Mom distracted," she said. "But one of these days you're going to explain to me what all this is about."

"I promise," said Buffy. "Now go before Mom decides to come up and make dinner mandatory." She turned Dawn to face the door and gave her bottom a light smack to get her moving. She almost laughed at the glare Dawn gave her, certain that that was the exact look Buffy always gave her Mother when she did the same thing.

After Dawn left, Buffy rooted through the trunk, removing a number of the usual teenage girl items. She then removed a false bottom and loaded down a bag with crosses, holy water, and stakes. Finally, almsot reverently, removing a particularly nasty looking stake and sliding it up the sleeve of her jacket. It had been the first stake her first Watcher, Merrick, had given her. Buyffy's eyes misted over as she breifly replayed the mans death in her mind. She angrily wiped them, and headed over to the window, crawling out, hoping her chatterbox of a sister could keep their Mom occupied until Buffy either saved the world, or it ended.

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At the Bronze, looking downright amazing in a black mini dress if she did say so herself, Cordelia held court over her little band or Cordette's. She liekd soem of them ,but some were just pathetic little followers.

"Senior boys are the onlky way to go,"she said as though imparting the wisdom of Solomon. "they're just a better class of person. The boys in our grade? Forget about it. They're children. Like Jesse...did you see him last night? The way he follows me around. He's like a puppy dog. You jsut want to put him to sleep. Senior boys have mystery. They have...what's the word I', looking for? Cars."

Most of the Cordettes nodded knowingly, but an aisian american girl named Cindy looked confused. "But, didn't you date Bill Doyle last year? Before he want all biker boy."

Cordelia glared and plowed on, ignoring the interruption. She'd told everybody she broke up with Bill, but he'd broken up with her, a fact she tried to forget. "I'm just not the type to settle," she said. "Like when I go into a store, I have to get the most expensive thing. Not because it's expensive, but because it costs more." Cindy started to speak again but Cordelia cut her off. "Excuse me, Miss Motormouth. Can I get in a word edgewise here?" She stopped as the DJ started a new song. "Oh! I love this song!" Without a word, she headed out to the dance floor, knowing her loyal subjects would follow.

It was good to be the queen.

As Cordy and her group danced, Jesse entered the Bronze. People who knew him were surprised as he walked in. He looekd and dressed the same, but gone was the awkward, kinda endearingly goofy boy they knew. He now moved with an easy confidence and a sort of predatory grace. He looked around and found what he was looking for.

Cordelia looked up as Jesse approached. Not quite walking up to her, more moving around her, his eyes never leaving her. Cordy saw the same change everybody else had in Jesse, and for the first time in her life, did not look away in disgust.

The music changed to a slow song and she and her friends stopepd dancing and went to go back to their own table. Cordelia found her way blocked by Jesse, who was smiling a distant smile. "What do you want?" she asked, her tone holding every bit of her trademark bitchiness, but, inside, not feeling nearly as confident as she acted.

Jesse took her hand and started leading her to the dance floor. "Hey!" exclaimed Cordelia indignantly. "Hello, caveman brain! What do you think you're doing."

Her tummy did a flip as Jesse just gave her a winning smile and quietly said "Shut up." He led her to the middle of the dance floor and started dancing with her, holding her, but barely touching her.

"Ok," Cordelia said breathlessly, trying to make it look like she was granting him a huge boon. "One dance." She moved closer as Jesse smirked.

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Luke, Sheila, and seven other vampires walked purposefully up to the entrance of the Bronze. It was funny in a way. The blood Luke was planning to drain from his victims was supposed to energise the Master so he could escape his prison, but, after drinking the Master's blood, Luke himself felt energised. He truly saw no way the Master would not be freed tonight.

The bouncer looekd up at them. "I need to see some ID," he said. They ignored him and started to walk past him. "Hey! Nobody gets inside until I see some..."

Luke turned and stood over the man, his face mere inches from the bouncers. "Get inside," he ordered quietly. The bouncer gulped and complied.

Once inside, the vampires spread out, two staying to watch the main entrance, others going to cover al lthe other exits. One slid over the bar and covered the door behind it, another going upstairs.

Shelia went over by the stage to the backstage entrance. She went in and made sure the back door was secure, then went over to the fusebox and flipped a switch.

People gapsed and murmured as the main lights and the music cut off. A shadowy figure stepped onto the stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen," said Luke, stepping into the lone spotlight, infull vamp face, the spotlight making it look evem scarier. "There is no cause for alarm." He paused and smield evilly. "Actually, there's plenty of cause for alarm. It just won't do you any good."

Cordelia looked up at the stage from where she and Jesse stood. "What is this, some new grunge band? I didn't think there WAS a band tonight," she asked then looekd at Jesse, who had also put on his vamp face. She gasped and tried to pull away, but he was too strong and pulle her into the darkness under the stairs.

Sheila came out and stood, looking up at the stage, as look stood there, rather dramatically she thought, with his arms spread wide.

"Tonight is a glorious night!" he announced to the scared mass of people. "Though, it is the last night any of you will ever see. Bring me the first!"

Onwe of the minions pushed the bouncer onto the stage. The large man was scared andbabbling. "What do you guys want?" he asked. "You want money? Man, what's wrong with your faces?"

Luke grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and squeezed, effectively cutting off any further conversation from him. "Watch me people," he ordered the crowd. He looekd into the bouncers eyes. "Their fear is elixer. It's almsot as good as blood!" With that he pulled the man closer and buried his fangs into the mans neck, drinking his blood in huge gulps.

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Across town, in the sunken church, the Master threw back his head, his whole body lighting up as energy coursed through him. "Yes," he whispered. "Yes. Soon."

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Luke finished draining the bouncer and tossed him aside. "Next," he called out.

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Darla sighed. Bill had come to get her, and once they got to the Bronze, the Slayers little friends were there, but, no sign of the cute little blonde. She was about to ask, but then Buffy came running up. Darla couldn't take her eyes off the Slayer for a moment, then forced herself back to the present.

Her reaction to the Slayer confused her. She'd been sexual with Drusilla before she'd gotten her soul back, Spike too actually. (Angelus went without saying), but, since she became "her" again, she'd always thought that that had been a product of the demon inside her. Now, whenever Buffy was around, well, Darla's heart couldn't speed up, but every time she looked at the Slayer, she couldn't help but wonder what was under those clothes.

Ok, NOW she was forcing herself back to the present.

"It's locked," announced Buffy as she tried the door.

"We're too late," said Giles, almost scoldingly.

"Well, I didn't know I was gonna get grounded!" Buffy protested defensively.

Darla smirked. "Gee, Slayer,' she teased. "Did you get spanked too?" She regretted the question almost immediately. Her head was instantly filled with images of the Slayer... she shook her head and glared at Bill for the amused look he gave her.

"Well, you could always kiss it if I did," Buffy growled at her, then turned several different shades of red off the looks she got. "God! I was TRYING to say "kiss my ass' to her you perverts!"

Bill scoffed. "Suuuuuuure," he said, the whole time, examining the door.

"You're an asshole," Buffy said to him as they tried to force the door.

Bill smirked and nodded at Darla. "That's what SHE said."

Xander got a funny look on his face as he noted the looks between Buffy and Darla. Finally, he indicated the door. "Can you guys break it down?" he asked.

"Not this thing," answered Bill. "it's like the door to a fucking bomb shelter."

Darla had to agree. She doubted they could break the door down even with all three of them working together.

Buffy looked at them. "You four try around back. Bill and I will find our own way." Darla understood what she was saying. As far she she knew, Darla was human. Bill and Buffy were the super ones.

"Right," said Giles. he turned to the other three. "Come on."

"Guys!" called Buffy. She handed them her bag of tricks. "You guys clear the exit and get people out. That's all. Don't go all wild bunch on me." She turned to Darla. "I saw in the tunnels you can fight. I'm counting on you to keep them safe, but, don't take any unnecessary chances." Darla nodded at her.

"See you on the inside," Giles said to Buffy as the four took off.

They got around to the back of the Bronze to find that door too was locked.

"Dammit," groused Xander. "We've got to get in there before Jesse does something stupider than usual!"

"Xander," Giles said in his almost scolding tone. " Jesse is dead. You have to remember that if you see him. You're not looking at yoru friend. You're looking at the thing that killed him." Xander glared at Giles as Darla looked for something to help them get in. This wasn;t liek the front door, she coudl break it easily, but, it might make them suspicious.

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Around front, Bill looked upwards. "Buffy," he said, pointin g to a second story window that was open. "Think you can make the jump?"

Buffy looked. "You better give me a boost to be sure," she said.

"You got it," said Bill, kneeling down and cupping his hands. "Be prepared to pull me in." Buffy nodded, ran three steps towards him and put her foot in his hands. Bill stood straight, and pushed his arms upwards as Buffy jumped. Between the two of them, she went sailing through the window and did a small summersault, springing to her feet. she turned to see Bill, with his game face on, scrambling through the window. She grabbed his arm and pulled.

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Inside, Luke finished draining his third victim, a young girl. He felt flush with power as he turned to face his hostages, all scared, some whimpreing, a few actually screamed.

Sheila walked over and took Cordelia's arm, having a breif tug of war with Jesse over the struggling girl.

"This one is mine," said Jesse, territorially.

"They're ALL for the Master," sneered Sheila, pulling Cordelia way from him.

Jesse just looked confused. "I don't get one?" he asked nobody in particular.

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Bill and Buffy walked up to the balcony, right up next to a totally oblivious vampire. They looked over to see Luke, standing on the stage. "I feel him rising,"Luke announced. "I need another!" They saw the three-pointed star painted in blood on his forehead and looked at each other.

"The Vessel," they both said.

The vampire heard them and turned. Never noticing Bill's Brachen face, he smiled, thinking he'd found two new sacrifices for the Master.

Luke, meanwhile, was in his glory, burning with power and with the rush of knowing his Master would soon be free. "Tonight is his ascension!" he announced to people who had no clue what he was talking about. "Tonight will be History at it's end. Yours is a glorious sacrifice. Degradation most holy." He paused, and looked at the sheep before him. "What? No volunteers?"

Sheila pulled Cordelia onto the stage. "Here's a pretty one," she said.

"Noooooo," whimpered Cordelia, still struggling. She started crying as Luke grabbed her.

Suddenly, a vampire came sailing over the balcony and landed on his back in front of the stage. The vampires all looekd up at the balcony.

"Oh, sorry," said Bill sarcastically. "Did we break your concentration?"

Luke's eyes met Buffy's. "YOU!" he snarled.

"You didn't think I'd miss this, did you?" asked Buffy, challengingly.

Luke smiled evilly. "Actually," he said. "I'd HOPED you'd come."

Buffy put her hands on the rail of the balcony and flipped herself backwards over it, landing on a pool table below. She then did a handsrping, grabbing a pool cue that was lying on the table, and landed on the floor holding the cue like a staff.

Bill chose a less theatrical route and simply jumped over the rail, landing on his feet on the floor below. A few of the vampires looked shocked at his Brachen visage, but most of the crowd didn't seem to notice.

Meanwhile, out back, Darla had found a metal pole and used it to batter the door open. She dropepd the pole and ran inside, followed by the other three.

A vampire charged Buffy from the side. Never taking her eyes off Luke, she flipped the pool cue and jammed the skinny end into his heart. She let go of the cue and both the vampire and it exploded into dust.

"Okay, vessel boy," said Buffy, walking towards Luke."You want blood?"

Luke shoved Cordelia aside. "I want YOURS!" he announced. "Only yours."

"Come and get it!" Buffy snarled as the two closed on each other.

Two vampires rushed at Bill. He met one with a roundhouse right that knocked him down, but the other barrelled into him. The two struggled but Bill finally broke his grip. He threw a left, which the vamp blocked. It swung back at him, but Bill ducket, then stood up quickly ramming his head into the vamps jaw, his face spiens tearing it's skin. Bill felt rather than saw the second vamp get up, and greeted it's charge with a kick to the gut. He grabbed the first vamp by it's jacket and headbutted it, tearing it's skin more, and managing to pierce it's eyes with two of his spines. the vamp screamed as Bill whipped out a stake and dusted it. He turned to face the other, only to recieve a punch to the jaw.

Buffy ran towards the stage and leapt at Luke, slamming her fist into hsi face, knocking him back. He counter attacked but Buffy ducked his punch, and came back up with a roundhouse kick to his face. She whipped out her stake and stabbed at his chest, but he blocked and swung a vicious blow to her face, nailing her and knocing her down onto her butt, the force of the blow making her slide back into the corner. "Ok,' she said, a bit dazed. "OW!"

Darla and Xander were the first two to come from backstage and into the Bronze proper. They saw no vamps in the immediate vicinity, turned and nodded to each other. Xander started herding people out, and Darla went to help Bill. They hadn't set a plan, but everybody's role was pretty obvious. Buffy would take the Vessel, Giles, Xander and Willow would get the civilians out, and Bill and Darla would deal with the minions. She grabbed a minion from behind and slammed his head into the wall, dazing him. Darla was not the strongest of vampires but she was fast and had spent the better part of a century honing her fighting skills. She looked over and saw Bill, now struggling with three vampires, trading blows with all three of them. She rolled her eyes and went to help.

"Come on!" called Xander as he herded the panicked crowd towards the back exit. Giles and Willow had just come in, and were hurrying them along. Xander failed to see a vampire sneaking up on him from behind.

Luke advanced on Buffy, smiling predatorially. She lashed out with both feet and kicked him in the chest, causing him to fly back and land hard. Buffy leapt to her feet and was about to go in for the kill when she saw the vamp grab Xander from behind. She turned to the drum kit and kicked the cymbal clean off it's perch. She caught the cymbal in mid air, then turned and hurled it frisbee style at the vampire who had Xander. It turned, hearing the noise. It's eyes went wide, just before the cymbal sliced neatly through his neck. Xander turned in time to see the head disintigrate in mid air. he turned to Buffy and smirked. "Heads up," he said.

Buffy started to laugh at her friends bad pun, but Luke had recovered. He reached out and grabbed her from behind, scooping her up into a crushingbear hug,

Darla pulled the first vampire off of Bill and slammed him against a wall. The vampire looked at her, his eyes lighting up in recognition. "Darla?" he asked.

Darla sighed. "Hello Lucien," she said.

"I'd heard you had left Angelus," said Lucien. "But, I NEVER expected to find you fighting at the side of the Slayer!" His voice held a definate ring of disgust.

"Well, you dress and smell as bad as you always did," said Darla, punching him hard, then kicking him in the midsection, knocking him back. "So, I think I'm ahead." She puleld out a stake and was about to finish him, when the vampire she had only stunned earlier tackled her from the side.

Bill took advantage of the respite of now fighting only two foes instead of three and drove the toe of his motorcycle boot into one of the vamps groin, then backhanded the other with a fist full of stake, then brought the stake down, through the back of the vamp that was now writhing on the floor, clutching at it's groin, causing it to explode into dust. He turned to face the other vampire, and the two started trading blows. Bill was an accomplished if undisciplined fighter, having a very brawling style. He got the upper hand and staked the vampire.

Xander was about to go help Buffy, but, he heard a shriek. He turned to see Jesse, single minded as always, dragging Cordelia back under the stairs. He threw Cordy to the ground and pinned her. Xander might be treasurer of the We Hate Cordelia club, but he couldn't just stand by and watch her die.

"Hold STILL," Jesse snarled exasperatedly at Cordelia. "You're NOT making this any easier!"

"I'm SO sorry!" Cordelia spat back at him, clawing at his face. She was scared but she was Queen C, dammit!

Xander had the perfect opportunity to stake Jesse from behind, but he couldn't. Despite Giles' warnings, he still looked at him and saw one of hsi best friends. "Jesse, c'mon, man," he said quietly. "Don't make me do this.

Jesse turned to look at Xander, and grinned inhumanly. Buddy..." he said.

Buffy struggled, but was unable to get out of Lukes grasp. Sensing victory, he started to squeeze harder.

"I've always wanted to kill a Slayer!" he snarled triumphantly. It had been a source of shame to him that he had never killed one, while that pissant Spike had killed two! He squeezed even harder, and Buffy felt her ribs starting to crack.

Darla staked the vampire she was fighting and turned to Bill. He looekd back and they surveyed the room, looking for more.

People were still rushing to the rear entrance, making a bit of a bottle neck. Giels turned to Willow. "Come on," he said. We need to get the front doors open as well!" The two started to the front, but Sheila pounced on Giles, her fangs digging for his throat. He tried to use hsi stake, but he was no match for Sheila, who knocked it to the floor.

Xander took a step back as Jess rose to face him. "Jesse," he said imploringly. "I know there's still a part of you in there somewhere."

Jesse gave him an exasperated look. "Ok, let's deal with this," he said. "Jesse was an excruciating loser who couldn't get a date with anyone in the sighted community! But look at me now! I'm a new man!" He grabbed Xander by the lapels of his jacket and pulled him close, a backhanded fist splitting Xanders lip, but his grip on Xanders jacket keeping him from flying back. "Now SEE," he said. "The OLD Jesse would have reasoned with you!" he pulled Xander in, opening his mouth, preparing to bite.

He didn't see that Xander had not lost his grip on his stake. Nor did he know about the cross in Xanders other hand, nor did he see Cordelia rise to her feet behind him.

Willow dug frantically through Buffy's bag, looking for something that might help her save Giles. She pulled out a jar of holy water. "Get OFF him!" she yelled to Sheila, who had Giles pinned to the floor. She looked up at Willow only to be doused with holy water. She screamed and her hands went to her face, smoke coming from between her fingers. Suddenly, Darla, who had seen what was going on, pulled Sheila off of Giles and drove her stake through her heart, making her explode into dust. She reached down and helped Giles to his feet, looking over at Willow. "Nice moves,' she said, making the redhead smile weakly. She looked about to faint.

Buffy went limp in Lukes grasp, her head dangling forward. Luke snarled and leaned in closer. "Master," he called out. "Taste of this and be free!"

Just as he was about to sink his fangs into her throat, Buffy threw her head back and head butted him in the face, causing him to let go and reel back.

"How'd it taste?" she asked. But, despite her bravado she was weak. The fight was taking a lot out of her. She grabbed up the cymbal stand, holding it like a weapon, looking around. She noticed the window at the back of the stage, painted black, one big pane. She looked between it and Luke.

Jesse snarled at Xander. "Man, I'm sick of yo ugetting in the way, you know?" he said. "I'm gonna turn Cordelia,but I'm just gonna feed on you! She's gonna live forever, but you, you're just a snack!"

Xander met Cordelia's eyes. She nodded. Xander took his cross and pushed it against Jesse's eye, smelling burning flesh as it hissed. Jesse screamed and let go of Xander, his hands going to his ruined eye. Xander threw everything he had into a punch that knocked Jesse back. He plunged the stake towards Jesse's heart. Cordelia, at the same moment, shoved Jesse from behind. Jesse came forward, Xanders stake came forward, and Jesse exploded into dust. Xander looked at the spot where Jesse had stood, stunned. Then he looked at Cordelia, who had seems to find something in herself at that moment. They didn't have tiem to celebrate, as each was quickly grabbed by a vampire. Next thing they knew, Bill was in the midst, punching and kicking ,knocking both vampires off of them. He stepepd between them and the vampires quickly, his back to Xander and Cordy, hoping Cordy had not seen his demon face.

Luke advanced on Buffy, who swung the cymbal stand at him. "You forget," he said mockingly, "Metal can't kill me."

Buffy gave him a snarly smile. "You've forgotten something too," she said.

Luke paused, less confident now. What could he possibly have forgotten?

"Sunrise," said Buffy in answer to his unspoken question. With that, she hurled the cymbal stand with all her might, causing it to shatter the plate glass window behind Luke.

Warm light streamed in the window and washed over Luke. He screamed and raised his hands as if to ward it off. Then, nothing. No pain, no burning. Nothing. He stopped, puzzled, and Buffy, who had retrieved her stake, thrust it right through his heart.

"it's in about nine hours, moron," she quipped. Lukes last thought as he exploded to dust was "Streetlight!" Ok, that was his second to last thought. Just as he dusted, he looked at Buffy and spat out "Bitch!"

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In the sunken church, the Master suddenly doubled over in pain, feeling the extra energy leave him, feeling his body stop glowing with power. He looked around confused. He reached out to the invisible wall that kept him trapped her and found it as strong as ever. "No," he said, almost pleadingly. he tried again. "NO!" he yelled this time. He looked around his prison. He'd failed. The Slayer had won! He threw his head back and unleashed a scream/bellow/roar with absolutely no humanity in it.

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Xander stood behind Bill, and tried to sheild Cordelia, just in case one of the vampire's got passed Bill. Cordy though, stepepd right up next to him and took the cross out of his hand. the two exchanged a small smile.

The two vampires rose, but saw Bill standing there, then Buffy and Darla came over and stood one on each side of him. They looked at the three determined faces for about 1/8 of a second, then turned and got the hell out of dodge. Bill exchanged grins with both Buffy and Darla, then went back to his human face before turning to face Xander and Cordelia. Giles and Willow came over and joined them. Everybody but the seven of them had fled.

"I take it it's over," said Giles, taking in the carnage.

"Does that mean we won?" asked a still slightly dazed Willow.

Buffy gave them a small, tired smile. "Well, we averted the apocalypse," she said. "You GOTTA give us points for that."

"Ok, ok," said Cordelia. "Could somebody PLEASE tell me what the HELL just happened?"

Buffy, Giles, Bill and Darla all exchanged looks. Most people, when faced with a situation like tonight, could forget about it and go along with their lives, making up soem excuse like street gangs or something. But, Cordelia had found something inside herself and actually helped Xander stake Jesse, then stood by him, ready to fight. They'd all thought she was just some shallow bitch queen (Well, Bill and Buffy did. Giels didn't know her well, and Darla had no clue who she even was) but there was more to Cordelia Chase than met the eye.

"I'll take you home, and explain on the way," offered Bill. The seven prepared to leave the Bronze.

"One thing is for sure," said Xander. "Nothing is ever going to be the same!"

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Giles had offered to drive Willow and Xander home. Bill was taking Cordelia home, and for some reason, Darla was walking Buffy home. Buffy found it amusing that, somehow, she, the Slayer, had wound up with an escort. And, she also found herself trying not to stare at the other girl. she still couldn't figure out why her thoughts did the things they did when Darla was around.

"Hell of a fight," she said, trying to change the subject.

"It really was," answered Darla, equally awkwardly.

Buffy decided to just get things out in the open. She was pretty sure she'd seen Darla checking her out, and Darla had pretty openly flirted with her outside the Bronze last night.

"Look, Darla..."

"Look, Buffy..."

They both laughed, some of the tension draining.

"Ok, I'll start," said Buffy. "I don't know what's going on here. I look at you, and I'm having thoughts like I've never had before. I find myself all tingly, and awkward, and saying embarassing things, and going to my babble place..."

"Like now?" asked Darla, clearly amused.

Buffy blushed. " A little bit, yeah." she said.

"I feel the same way, Slayer," she said.

"It's just so werid for me," said Buffy. "I've never had these feelings towards another girl before, Not even in the showers after gym class. But you, you're so pretty, and yes, dammit, sexy and you smell just...awesome." She got a dreamy look in her eyes making Darla laugh.

"Girls are not totally new to me," said Darla. "But I feel the same on all other counts.." She decided to tease the Slayer a little. "And earlier, outside the Bronze? I was actually picturing you getting a spanking. And NOT from your Mother!"

Buffy laughed, blushed, and shoved Darla with her elbow. "You're rotten," she said.

"Deeper than the core," answered Darla.

"So, anyway," said Buffy, trying to get thigns back on track. "it's pretty clear that I like you. But, I'm also a little freaked out by these feelings. So, I'm not going to say things are hopeless for us, but, I totally need to do a lot of thinking, and decide what it is I want, before I can even THINK of us dating." She paused. "Are you ok with that?"

Darla smiled and cupped Buffy's face with her hand. Buffy had to fight the urge not to kiss her palm. "Its perfectly fine, Buffy," she said. "Even though I feel the same way you do, a relationship between the two of us is probably a huge mistake. I think we both need to decide what it is we want." She looked at Buffy, very seriously. "Take your time, Slayer. I want you to be sure. As for me? I have all the time in the world."

Buffy reached up and squeezed the hand that was cupping her cheek. "Thank you," she said. The two resumed walking, niether notcing that they were holding hands. "So, I'm the Slayer. Bill is a half demon agent of the Powers That Be. What is your story? Why do YOU do this?"

Darla looked a bit pained. "I lost the only family I ever had," she explained to Buffy. "Thanks to vampires."

Buffy nodded. "I can get that," she said. "I feel liek that's not all there is to it, though."

Darla put a finger over Buffy's lips to shush her. "Shhh," she said. "I'll tell you everything when the time is right,' she promised.

Buffy nodded. then she stopepd in front of her house. Thankfully, the house was dark, so, hopefully, her Mom had gone to bed never realizing she was gone. "This is me," she said. She turned to darla. "When will I see you again?"

Darla chuckled at the adorable Slayer. "Soon," she promised. She leaned in and gave Buffy a sweet, chaste kiss on her cheek, very close to her mouth. "Now, you need sleep. You have school tomorrow young lady." She telegraphed a swat to Buffy's backside, which the Slayer easily dodged, giggling.

"Good night, Darla," she said, then went and snuck into her bedroom window. She smield as she saw Dawn asleep in her bed. She must have crawled in here after their Mom had gone to bed. Buffy changed and crawled in next to her, kissing her little sister on the forehead.

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"So, I get that vampires and demons are real," Cordelia told Bill as they approached her house. "But what confuses me is Buffy being the Vampire Slayer. She's so...tiny."

Bill chuckled. 'Yeah, but, it looks like she packs quite a punch!"

Cordelia laughed with him. Then got sober. "Bill,"she said. When you came over and pulled the vampires off of me and Xander, I saw you. I mean. I saw your face. What's up with you?"

Bill sighed. He'd known this was a possibility, so he spilled it, telling Cordy exactly what he'd told Buffy and the others earlier. Cordy listened intently and made the connection.

"So, this all went down right about the time you broke up with me," she said, rather than asking.

Bill sighed again. "Yeah," he said. "Cordy, you have to understand. My mother lost her mind when she found out about my Dad. I couldn't take the chance of that happening with you too."

Cordelia nodded. "I was in love with you, you know?" she said. Bill nodded. "I get that you were trying to protect me. But you still broke my heart. You're still an asshole, Bill Doyle."

"Seems to be the consensus amongst most of the pretty ladies in my life," he said. "I'm really sorry, Cordy. I hope someday you'll be able to forgive me."

Cordy scoffed. "Oh, please,"she said. "I already do forgive you. And I want to be your friend. But, just so you know, I spent too long getting over you to ever date you again."

"I know,"said Bill smiling softly. "And honestly, I don't think I'l lbe dating anybody for awhile. A lot of girls wouldn't be able to handle my other half. Plus, Buffy needs my help. I really need to devote my energy to that, you know?"

Cordy smiled at him. There was something about Bill Doyle that broke down the walls of bitchiness she normaly kept up and let her let her warmer side out. "I think she lucky to have you," she said.

Bill smiled. "Well, you better get inside. We still have school tomorrow," he said.

Cordy nodded, and the two shared a hug that was only slightly awkward and said goodnight.

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The Master was still raging when what was left of his minions returned. He'd taken one look at them and realsied he'd lsot Sheila as well as Luke. "How could one Slayer, aided by a FUCKING BRACHEN have doen all this?" he screamed.

Lucien, who had crawled away after the other vampire had tackeld Darla stepped up to him. "Uh, Master..." he started.

The Master grabbed him by the throat and slammed him against the wall, poising the talons on two of his fingers over Lucien's eyes, ready to gouge them out. "SAY THE WRONG THING, LUCIEN!" he bellowed.

Lucien gulped. "It was more than the Slayer and the Brachen, Master," he said. "DARLA was helping them. I spoke to her breifly before we were seperated in the fight."

"Darla?" asked the Master wistfully. "My Darling One?" The Master had turned Darla himself, when he found her on her deaths bed, dying of syphilis in the 16th century. He'd christened her "Darla" which meant "Darling" or "Dear One" . She'd turned and hooked up with Angelus, then, nearly 100 years ago, if Angelus was to be believed, a group of gypsies had cursed her by giving her her soul back. The Master had not seen or heard from her since. "MY Darling One, helping the Slayer? Of course. With everything else that has happened today, that makes perfect sense. Well, if she is not with me, she is against me." He turned to another minion. "Get word out to all of Aurelius. I need The Whirlwind." The minion hastened to obey. "Oh, and Lucien," said the Master, mildy. He turned back to him. "You DID say the wrong thing."

Luciens screams went on for hours before the Master finally dusted him.

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Epilogue

The next morning, things at Sunnydale high were exactly the same as always. Birds were singing, the sun was shining, and kids were talking and laughing and carrying on. The only thing different, was, Cordelia was not walking with her Cordettes, she was with Buffy and the others, sans Darla. They all looked over to see Cordelia's friend Harmony having the attention of the Cordettes.

"Well, I heard it was rival gangs,' she was saying. "And get this, Bill Doyle, and that new girl Buffy, totally knew these guys! Which is to oweird. I can;t really remember everything too well, but it was a total freak show!" the others nodded as they passed by the gang, giving Cordelia a strange look for being seen with them.

Xander watched the girls walk by with a look of total disbelief on his face.

Buffy smirked at the boy. "What were you expecting?" she asked

"I don't know," said Xander exasperatedly. "The dead rose!"

"We should have at least had an assembly," Cordelia threw in.

"People have a tendancy to rationalize what they can and forget what they can't," said Giles, sagely.

"Believe me," said Buffy. "I've seen it happen."

"Well," said Willow. "I'll never forget it. None of it." Xander and Cordelia nodded in agreement.

"Good," said Giles nodding. "Next time you'll be prepared."

"Wait, what?" asked Cordelia.

"NEXT time?" added Xander.

"and next time is WHY?" asked Willow.

Giles chuckled. "We stopped the Master from freeing himself and opening the mouth of hell," he explained. "But that doesn't mean he'll stop trying."

Bill agreed. "I'd say the fun is just beginning," he said.

"More vampires?" asked Willow, nervously.

"Not just vampires," said Giles, comforting nobody. "The next creature we face may be something quite different."

"I can hardly wait," said Buffy, sarcastically.

"We're at the center of a mystical convergence," explained Giles. "We may in fact stand between the earth and total destruction."

"But, no pressure," scoffed Bill.

Xander turned to Buffy. "Buffy, this isn't good," he said.

"Well, I gotta look on the bright side," said Buffy brightly. "Maybe I can still get kicked out of school." She smield at Giles and started off, the others four keeping up with her.

"Now THERE'S a plan," said Cordelia.

"'Cause a lot of schools aren't on Hellmouths," added Xander.

"OH!" said Willow helpfully. Maybe you could blow something up! They're really strict about that."

Buffy laughed. "I was thinking of a more subtle approach," she said. "Like excessive not studying."

"Been there, done that,' said Bill.

Giles shook his head as they walked off. "The earth is doomed," he said softly before heading to the library.

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A/N3: Wow! I completed the pilot! Made a few more changes, obviously. I always thought Xanders staking Jesse would have been more poingnant if he'd done it on purpose. And wanted him to be a bit more heroic. And, we saw on Angel, that Cordelia DOES have a good person inside of her and always figured if things had gone a little differently in the pilot we'd have seen it a lot sooner. Thanks for reading and supporting this story and please be sure to let me know what you think. Please let me know what you think. I was up all night writing this chapter, LOL.

A/N4: Not sure what episode is next. I might do The Witch or hop ahead to another one.


	8. Chapter 7: Little Witches Pt 1

A/N I know it's been awhile since I updated this one, , but I go where my muse takes me, and it hasn;t brought me here for a few weeks. I decided to do The Witch after all. It's going to be quite a bit different though. He does not read the fanfiction site but I woudlbe remiss if I did not acknowledge my best friend Jeff. The plot to this episode was based on one of the adventrues he ran for our Buffy The Vampire Slayer Roleplaying Game group.

A/N2: As with my story Buffy And The Primals, I am borrowing a plot device from kinetic kids story "New Friends OldLovers." Borroiwng and trying to put a bit of my own spin on it. Thanks again Double K.

 **Chapter Seven: Little Witches Pt 1**

"This is MADNESS," announced Giles, as Buffy stood before him wearing her old Hemry High cheerleading outfit, and Bill watched, clearly amused.

"You don't like the color?" Buffy asked, feigning innocence. She knew full well what the problem was.

"What? I don't like..." Giles stammered, pinching the bridge of his nose. It was much too early in the day to be developing a headache, but, since meeting his Slayer, headaches were becoming a daily occurance for Giles. "Buffy, do you ignore everything I say? As a rule?"

"Just the boring bits," muttered Bill under hsi breath, earning a glare from Giles.

"No," said Buffy exasperatedly. "I believe that's YOUR gig. I TOLD you trying out for cheerleading."

"You have a sacred birthright, Buffy," said Giles. " You have been chosen to slay vampires, and fight evil. NOT to prance about and wave pom pom's at people! And as you Watcher I forbid it." Giles winced inwardly. He knew that forbid was a mistake, with this Slayer, the moment the word left his mouth.

"This is gonna be gooooood," Bill singsonged to no one in particular, as the three were alone in the room.

Buffy cocked a hip and gave Giels a Look. "And you plan on stopping me HOW exactly?" she challenged.

Giles looked stunned but recovered quickly. "By appealing to your common sense, if such a creature exists," he said exasperatedly. "Or maybe having Bill knock you out and tie you up in a sack!"

Buffy gave Giles a disgusted look. "Bondage fantasies much?" she said, but she had a mischeivous twinkle in her eyes. "Look, Giles, I just want to have as normal a life as possible when I'm not slaying vampires and demons!" She looked at both of them pleadingly.

Bill cleared his throat. "Giles," he said. "Buffy isn't like other Slayers. She isn't fighting alone. She has me, and she has Darla. I'm not remotely saying she should ignore her duties, but, I think she can do both. And I'll be the first one to drag her away from practice or a game if we get attacked by Yorksil the Space God or something."

Giles sighed. "Two against one," he muttered. "Darla would probably agree with me! Very well. If it doesn't interfere with your duties."

"Thanks Giles," said Buffy as she decided to leave before he changed his mind. Not that he would STOP her, but she was tired of fighting about it.

Bill looked at the time, nodded at Giles and wnet to leave with her. As they were leaving, he muttered to Buffy. "He's probably wrong about Darla. She'd probably give her eye teeth to see you in a cheerleading uniform!"

Buffy elbowed him in the stomach. "You really ARE an asshole," she said. Though, the thought of wearing her uniform specifically for Darla made her blush and smile.

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"Miss Rosenberg!"

Willow turned to see Principal Flutie walking with a blonde girl Willow had never seen before. The girls was slightly taller than Willow, and looked even more lost and out of place than a new student should look. "Yes Sir?" she asked.

"Miss Rosenberg, this is Tara Maclay," said Flutie. "Her family just moved here. Apparently, her mother and Miss Summers mother are friends, and Miss Summers was SUPPOSED to meet Miss Maclay at my office this morning, but..." He gestured around as if to say "No Buffy".

"Oh, r-right," said Willow, smiling nervously at the new girl. She knew Buffy had gone straight to see Giles and Bill this morning. "W-well, Buffy was going to try out for cheerleading, so, she probably has a lot on her mind. I'd be happy to show Tara around."

"Thank you," said Flutie. "I'm glad to see ONE of you has some responsibility." He turned to Tara. "Welcoem again to Sunnydale High, Miss Maclay. If you need anything don't hesitate to call...Miss Rosenberg or Miss Summers."

"Th-thank you Sir," stuttered Tara as Flutie turned and left.

"Hi," said Willow brightly. "It's nice to meet you."

"Th-thank you. Y-you too," said Tara, looking at the floor , letting her hair fall over her face. Willow was amazed. Thsi girl actually seemed shyer than she was!

"What class do you have first hour?" Willow asked. Tara just held out her schedule. "Honors math. With me. Cool." The two started towards class. Willow noticed not only was Tara shy, but she was moving funny. Almost like her ribs hurt. "I'm sorry Buffy flaked on you. Do you know her well?"

Tara shook her head. "I-I've ner even m-met her," she said. "M-Mrs. Summers either. M-mama and Mrs. S-Summers went to c-college together. W-when Mama and D-D-D-Daddy split up, M-rs. S-Summers offered M-Mama a j-job h-here." Tara's stutter seemed to get worse when she mentioned her father. Willow's heart went out to the new girl.

"Well, you're gonna like her," said Willow. "Our friends Bill and Xander too. And Cordelia...well, you'll like Xander, Bill and Buffy." Even though Cordelia had been hanging out with them since the Harvest, Willow was having a hard time letting go of years of Cordelia dislike. Unlike Xander, who was clearly thinking with his...hormones. She looekd up. "Oh, here we are,:" she said as she led Tara into class, somehow knowing they were going to become good friends.

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Later, Buffy and Willow entered the gym for the cheerleader tryouts. Buffy was telling Willow about her adventures with Giles and Bill this morning.

"So, Giles didn't approve?" Willow asked sympatyhetically.

"He totally lost his water," answered Buffy rolling her eyes. "If Bill hadn't been there, he might actually have talked me out of it! We haven't even SEEN a vampire in a week!"

"So, Bill came through for you?" asked Willow. She secretly kind of hoped Bill and Buffy would hit it off. She understood why Bill had broken up with Cordelia, and figured with the two working together, Bill and Buffy might be a good couple. They definitely wouldn't have to keep secrets!

"I guess," said Buffy, her cheeks flushing in rememberance of his comment about Darla. "He's just such an ASS sometimes!"

"Only sometimes?" asked Willow with a smile. "Buffy, I've known Bill for a long time, and, yeah, he IS a bit of an...a-s-s. But he's on your side." She looked up as Xander and Cordelia approached. "We're all behind you."

"Totally," said Cordelia. "If you make the team it might help take off some of the negativity of...your other activities!" Coordelia was having a hard time not just blurting things about vampires and Buffy being the Slayer among people who were not in the know. She was getting better though. The last time, Bill ahd threatened to turn her over his knee, and, while she THOUGHT he was joking, Cordy found she had NO curiosity when it came to finding out for sure.

"Thanks Cordy," said Buffy, amused at the girls backhanded support. She wass trying to give Cordelia a chance, as it was clear she and Xander were feeling...something for each other. The only problem was Willow. Buffy saw Willow's crush on Xander, and she didn't want her friend to get hurt.

"People scoff at school spirit," said Xander. "but when yo usee young women giving their all like this..." He was momentarily distracted by a girl named Amber doing the splits. "oooh, stretchy!" He suddenly looekd sheepish when Cordelia and Willow both glared at him. "Er, where was I?"

"You were pretending seeing scantily clad women in revealing postures was a spiritual experience," teased Buffy, enjoying his discomfort.

"Not sure pretending is the right word, Buff," said Bill as he walked up. "Sorry I'm late, but the new biology teacher needed some help."

"Better late than never," said Buffy amused. Most of the boys seemed a bit enamored with Miss French, who was filling in for the missing Dr. Gregory. The thought made Buffy sad. Dr. Gregory hadbeen really nice to her. He demanded the best from his students, but, he was very suportive about it. She wished she knew what had happened to him.

"See," said Xander. "Bill gets it!" At the glares he got from all three girls, he turned to Cordelia. "By the way," he said as all three girls glared at him. He pulled out an ID bracelet and handed it to Cordelia. "I got this for you. Sort of a good luck thing for tryouts."

"What is this?" asked Cordelia, taking it.

"What is that?" asked Willow, her nostrils flaring a little.

Cordelia looked at the bracelet. "That's so sweet," she said, then read the inscription. ""Yours always'?"

"That was on there when I got it," said Xander a little too quickly. "Really, they all said that!"

Bill and Willow rolled their eyes as Buffy pouted. "I'M trying out too!" she said to Xander.

"I know," said Xander, distractedly as he put the bracelet on Cordy's wrist. "Good luck, Buffy." Xander, unlike Willow, had noticed the interactions between Buffy and Darla and had quickly given up on his crush on Buffy. He may be Xander Harris. He may bring a lack of self respect to whole new levels, but he was NOT going to spend his teen years chasing a lesbian around. Even HE wasn't that pathetic!

"God," said Cordelia, watching Amber stand on one leg and hold the other straight in the air. "Who does she think she is, a Laker Girl?"

"I hear she turned them down," said Willow.

"Ok," called out Lisa, the captain. "Let's start with...Amber Grove. If you're not trying out, please leave the gym floor." Buffy and the others went to the side as Amber began her tryout.

"Hi Amy!" said Willow, as another girl came over to them. She was blond and pretty, but, obviously didn't realize how pretty she actually was. Much like Willow herself actually. Xander also greeted her.

"Hi guys," said Amy with a nervous smile. She looked at Bill a little breathlessly. "Hi Bill," she said.

Bill smiled in a friendly way. "Hey Amers," he said.

"I didn't know you wanted to be a cheerleader," said Willow. "And you look great. You've lost a lot of weight!"

"Had to," said Amy, a bit ruefully.

"Do you know Buffy?" asked Willow, indicating the Slayer.

"Hi," said Amy smiling. "Oh how I hate this. Let me count the ways!"

Buffy smiled, warming up to Amy immediately. She also noticed Amy seemed to be watching Bill, but, Buffy could not tell if the half demon was oblivious or uninterested. They all turned to watch Amber's routine. She was AMAZING.

"She trained with Benson...He's the best teacher money can buy,"said Amy.

"They have cheerleading coaches?" asked Willow.

"Oh yeah," said Amy. "I train with my Mom. Three hours in the morning, three at night."

"God," said Buffy. "That much quality time with my mother woudl probably lead to some quality matricide!"

Everybody laughed and turned to watch the rest of Amber's tryout. Even Cordelia was obviously a trifle nervous after watching Amber.

"That girl is on fire!" said Buffy.

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A/N3: A touch short, but, I wanted to post something, and that seemed a good place for a commercial break. LOL. Hope you are all still enjoying it. Reviews are always appreciated.


	9. Chapter 8 Little Witches Pt 2

**Chapter Eight.:Little Witches Pt 2**

Bill sighed as he sat there with Willow and Xander, watching cheerleader tryouts. Xander was watching intently, Willow clearly only there to support Buffy and Amy. Bill liked watching pretty girls in short skirt jump and twirl as much as Xander did, but, he really didn't give a fig about cheerleading. He was there to support Buffy and Cordelia, and also Amy.

Amber had been amazing, Lishane as on fire as Buffy had commented Amber was doing really well, Buffy too. Amy was doing, well, better than OK, but she clearly wasn't a natural. He'd known Amy since he'd left the football team and become friends with Xander and Willow, and he didn't think she cared abotu cheerleading any more than he did. But, he did know how Amy's mother was, so, maybe she'd been made to try out.

Bill saw Willow look up and wave to a girl entering the gym. The girl was pretty, with long blonde hair, but she clearly looked uncomfortable. Bill had cracked a rib in his football days, and the girl was clearly moving like she was healing from that. She smiled at Willow and came over, as did Buffy and Cordelia, who were between tryouts.

"Hi Tara," said Willow happily. Bill saw a certain look between the two girls. Almost the same look Buffy and Darla had shared when they first met. He smiled to himself. This girl, Tara, was clearly into Willow, and Willow was interested, but, didn't seem to realize it yet.

"Guys," said Willow. "This is Tara Maclay." She introduced Tara to each of them in turn and Buffy's jaw dropped.

"OMIGOD!" she exclaimed. "YOU'RE the girl I was suppsoed to meet at the office! Tara, I am SO sorry! With tryouts today, I totally flaked!" Bill chuckled, amusedly and winked at Buffy when she glared at him.

"It's n-nice to m-meet you all," said Tara, smiling shyly. "I-it's ok, B-Buffy. You h-had soemthing m-more important to do."

Bill felt that line stab at his heart. This poor girls REALLY thought that whatever Buffy had to do was more important than she was.

"No, not at all!" said Buffy, truly embarassed. "I just experienced a slight case of airhead! Of course you're important! I feel REALLY bad. Maybe we can walk home together and we can stop and I can buy you a cookie or something to apologise."

"Th-that's not necessary," stammered Tara. "I-it was an h-honest mistake."

"I INSIST," said Buffy. "Besides, my Mom said you guys live a couple of streets over, so it's really not out of the way."

Bill could see Tara decide she wasn't going to win this. "o-ok," she finally said smiling.

"So, Tara, where you from?" asked Xander.

"A-alabama," Tara stuttered, blushing at being the center of attention. "Mama and D-D-Daddy just split up, and Mrs. Summers offered M-mama a j-job at the gallery, s-so we m-moved here." Bill noticed what Willow had. Tara's stutter got worse at the mention of her father. He also noticed soemthing as he looked closer. Tara had this inner glow that was faint to his Sight. She was clearly not a demon, obviously not a Slayer, but something supernatural was there.

"Ok," called Lisa. "that's it for individual routines, now time for group performance. Buffy, Coordelia, Amy, Morgan, Janice and Lishane, you're up."

Buffy nodded at Cordelia and Amy as the three walked to join the others. Amy glared at her hands. "Why do my hands have to sweat when i'm nervous?" she lamented.

Buffy smiled and squeezed her shoulder. "don't worry,' she said encouragingly. "You'll do great."

One of the cheerleaders hit the play button on the tape player and music filled the gymnasium. The six girls began their routine. Lishane, like Amber, was amazing. Janice and Morgan did ok. Cordelia was great, as was Buffy though the latter was clearly rusty. Amy started off well, but, even Bill could see she was trying too hard. She tried to do a cartwheel as part of the big finish and her hands slipped on the floor, making her careen into and knock Cordelia over. Bill and the others all winced.

"Ouch," said Tara quietly.

Cordelia popped up and glared at Amy. "That wasn't me!" she exclaimed. She looekd to the judges. "You saw that, right?"

The six girls left the gym floor so the next group could do their adition. Amy fled the room, and Buffy and Willow followed. Xander walked up to Cordelia. "It's ok," he said. "You were great! I'm sure the judges know that wasn't your fault."

Bill saw Tara looked lost. He gave her a reassuring smile. "C'mon," he said. "Let's go find Buffy and Willow." She nodded her thanks as the two went to exit the gym.

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Willow and Buffy found Amy at the trophy case, staring at a cheerleader trophy. She indicated the accompanying photo to Buffy.

"That's my Mom," she said.

Buffy looekd impressed. "No way," she said, reading the name. "Catherine Madison! Get out of here with yoru bad self!"

"Her nickname was "Catherine The Great"," said Amy a bit wistfully. "she took that team and made them tri-county champions. Nobody has ever doen that, before or since. She and my Dad were homecoming king and queen, got married right after graduation." There was soemthing off about the way Amy gave all thsoe details. Like she wass reciting something she'd been forced to memorise.

"That's kinda romantic," said Buffy, Willow nodded.

"Yeah," scoffed Amy. "Then Mom drove him so crazy with ehr constant nagging and nothing ever being good enough for her that he left."

"Ok," said Buffy, exchanging an uncomfortable glance with Willow. "That part is less romantic. My folks are split up too."

"Drag, huh," said Amy, still staring at the trophy. "it wouldn't be so bad if I lived with my Dad. But Mom won't even let me talk to him! She's totally crazy! All she ever talks about is her glory days! She MADE me lose weight and try out for cheerleading! God, if that woman gains an ounce she padlocks the fridge and won't eat anything but broth." Amy smiled at Willow. "Used to be, when that would happen, I'd go over to Willows and we'd stuff ourselves with brownies. She watches me like a damned hawk now!"

Willow put her hand on Amy's shoulder and squeezed. She hadn't seen much of Amy lately, and now she knew why.

"Amy," said Buffy. "There are people who can help you."

Amy scoffed. "Social services isn't going to believe me,"she said. "Mom is a pillar of the community." She took a breath. "God, if only I was as pretty as she was when she was my age. She always says I got my Dads bad genes!" She stopepd, and turned away and wiped her eyes as Bill and Tara walked up.

"Hey guys," said Bill with that damn cocky grin of his. It even annoyed Willow sometimes. he indicated Tara. "I think you forgot something, Buff."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Don't mind him," she told Tara. "He's an acquired taste. I'm STILL working on acquiring it." Tara laughed softly at that. Willow thought she had a nice laugh.

Bill grinend at Buffy. "You KNOW you love me,' he said. She rolled her eyes again, but, definately looked amused.

"I-I need to g-get home," Tara told Buffy. "Y-you don't h-have to w-walk with me if y-you aren't ready yet."

"No,"said Buffy. "I promised I would." She turned to Amy. "Don't fret it,"she said. "They're posting the results in the morning, and then at least we'll know one way or the other." Amy gave her a small smile and nod. "See you guys tomorrow. C'mon Tara." Tara stammered a brief goodbye and left with Buffy.

Willow noticed Bill was watching Tara with a strange look on his face. She didn't have time to ask however, as Amy went right up to him.

"Buffy's right," said Amy. "I'm not gonna let that slip in there get me down. Wanna hit the Bronze tonight?"

Willow was impressed at Amy's bravery. Willow constantly wanted to ask Xander out, but never worked up the nerve. Unfortunately, Bill looked apologetic. "I'm sorry," he said. " promised Miss French I'd help her with soem stupid project tonight. Rain check?"

Amy looked breifly crestfallen but nodded. "sure, just name the night."

"I'll get with you on that soon," he said, "Now I gotta fly. See yo ugals tomorrow." He waved and dashed off.

Any shook her head. "Of course. The beautiful Miss French!"

Willow started to say soemthing, but she saw Xander and Cordelia walk by. They were not quite holding hands, but she was walking really close to him, laughing at something he said. "And the beautiful Cordelia Chase," she muttered darkly.

Amy seemed to think something over, then she took Willow's elbow. "Come on," she said. "I want to show you something."

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Buffy walked into her house after seeing Tara home, to find crates strewn about everywhere, and Joyce and Dawn in the kitchen, Dawn unloading an opened crate, Joyce trying to open another with a crowbar.

"Hi guys," she said, walking up to them.

"Hi Buffy," said Dawn.

"Hi sweetie," said Joyce, smiling but not looking up. "How was school?"

"A reverant joy," snarked Buffy ,exchanging a grin with Dawn. "What's all this?"

"A violation of child labor laws," said Dawn with a smirk.

"It's for the tribal ard display," said Joyce, giving Dawn a smack on her butt, making her eep. "You're getting to be as much of a smart alec as your sister!"

"Oh cool," said Buffy, checking out a statue Dawn had just unloaded, then grabbing a donut and sitting down."

Both girls noticed their mother had not actually looekd at Buffy yet, so Dawn spoke up. "I take it you had tryouts today?" she said.

Buffy smiled in thanks and said "Yep."

"Great!" Joyce said, a touch absently. "How'd it go?"

"There was some pretty stiff competition," said Buffy. "I did better than some of the girls, not so great as others."

Joyce nodded as she continued struggling with the crate. "Well, I'm sure you did great," she said. "Keep on plugging. You just have to get back on the horse."

Buffy and Dawn exchanged a look. "Mom?" spoke up Buffy.

Joyce finally turned to look at Buffy. "Yeah?" she asked.

"What was I trying out for?"

Joyce paused. Both stumped and embarassed. "Uhm, some activity? I'm sorry Sweetie. I honestly have no idea."

Buffy smiled. "It's ok, mom," she said. "Your platitudes are good for all occaisions."

"I'm just distracted here," said Joyce. "I've got inventory to do. This is the galleries first major show." She finally gave up on that crate and turned to another. "You know, it might NOT physically kill you to give me a hand!"

Buffy stood and casually flipepd the lid off of the crate with one hand.

"It was cheerleading tryouts, Mom," Dawn said helpfully.

"Oh GOOD," said Joyce. "I'm glad you're taking that up again. Keep you out of trouble."

Buffy bristled a little. "I'm not In trouble, Mom,"she said.

"Not yet," said Joyce, having no idea that her words were hurting Buffy. " I jsut meant, yo ustopepd cheerleading right before the trouble started, so, good you're gettign back into it." She puleld a statue of a man halfway out of a crate, then shoved it back in. "Oh dear."

"What is it?" asked Buffy and Dawn together.

"Fertility statue," saidJoyce. "Something you two do NOT need to see!"

Buffy chuckled heading for the fridge, and looking inside. "You know," she said. "This girl Amy's mother works with her like three hours a day." She clsoed the fridge. "Sounds like she's really into it."

"Sounds like Amy's mother doesn;t have a lot to do," said Joyce absently, picking up a few pieces and exiting the room.

Buffy and Dawn exchanged a look, then once she was gone went straight for the crate and looked at the statue inside. Both their eyes went wide.

"that's it," said Dawn dramatically. "I'm officially scarred for life!"

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Later that evening, Bill walked down a street, looking for the address Miss French had given him. He finally found the house and looked up at it. Weird, he thought. He had thought some old guy lived there. Well ,Miss French WAS new in town, so maybe the old guy had moved. He HAD been busy lately.

He unconciously smoothed his hair as he walked up to the front door. He wasn;t normally into older women, but there was just something about Miss French that got to him. Sure, she was beautiful, stunning in fact, but, there was just something about her he couldn't put his finger on. Maybe it was the fact that she seemed interested in HIM. He'd gone to her class earlier to help with herr stupid egg sack project, but he also wanted to go to support Buffy and Cordy at cheerleading tryouts, so, he asked if they coudl reschedule. She'd instantly offered to have him come over to her house tonight. And, though he wasn't an expert by any means, he was SURE she was flirting with him. He sighed. She WAS a little strange. She almost seemed obsessed with praying mantises. He shrugged and knocked.

Miss French opened the door, wearing a stunning low cut dress. "Hi Bill," she said. "Come on in."

"Uh, thanks," said Bill, coming inside. While he was nto actively staring, Bill could not help but notice the dress's ample amount of cleavage.

Miss French seemed to notice, however. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said. "is it too much? I can change if you want."

"No, that's ok," said Bill, almost stammering a little. "it's actually the most beautiful dress I've ever seen."

"That's so Sweet,"she said smiling and holding out a glass. "Martini?"

Bill just stared at the glass. "uh, 16 here," he said. Something was starting to feel really off here

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said, looking like a little girl with her hand caught in the cookie jar. "Let me get you some lemonade." She started towards the kitchen. "I really need to relax a little. I'm just really nervous around you. You're probably cool as a cucumber."

"Well, I dunno about THAT," said Bill. Suddenly, he grabbed his head and sank to his knees, in full vision mode.

 _Dr Gregory was talking to Buffy about her not doing some assinged reading. He was being really cool about it though. No scolding or nagging. He simply reminded her how important school was and told her to have the chapters read by the next day. Buffy thanked him and left. He walekd into the dark biology room and something reached out from the shadows and grabbed him. The scene shifted to show a closet door._

Both vision and pain faded and Bill stood looking shaken. Miss French entered the room with a glass. "Are you ok?" she asked.

"Yeah," said Bill. "I gues I'm just a little nervous too. Thanks." He took the glass and brought it to his lips.

Pausing as he looked across the living room to see the closet from his vision. "what the hell?" he asked. He started towards the closet.

"Bill," came Miss French's voice. "You REALLY don't want to open that closet.

"I really think I do." said Bill opening the closet. Two thigs fell out.

Bodies. Headless human bodies. One was wearing a lab coat that said "Dr Gregory" on the lapel. The other was clearly an elderly man, probably the one who had owned the house. Despite the thigns he had seen, he jumped in shock, then turned to Miss French.

He almost jumped again. In place of Miss French was a giant praying mantis!

"Foolish boy,"came Miss French's voice from the mantis creature. "I was going to give you the best time of your life before I kille you. But now, I can see I have to just kill you. Don't worry. I'll make it as painful as possible."

Bill shook his head, rather inanely thinking That explains her obsession with insects. He smirked at her and put on his brachen face. "You MIGHT find that a little harder than you think," he said. He charged forward only to be batted back by one of the creatures forelegs. He went flying and crashed through a table. "Ow," he said. Damn thing was strong! He got up and charged back in, dodging under another foreleg and and tackling it around what p[assed for it';s mideection. The two went flying back towards the kitchen. the creature stood and shrugged him off. He dodged under several more swipes, and landed several punches against the craatures body, doing little to no damage.

This wasn't good. Though wasn't as fast as Buffy or Darla, Bill knew he was stronger than both. He sighed. He clearly needed a weapon.

The creature slashed out with a foreleg, this time not only knocking him back, but slcing into his chest. He grunted as he went flying into the kitchen counter and knocked a knife rack to the floor.

Knives!

He grabbed a large carving knife from the knife rack and charged the mantis, swinging it like am ini machete. He scored a slash across it's front, causingblack ichor to ooze from it. The creature made a sort of screetching sound.

Bill grinned malevolently, the sight woudl have been particularly scarey on his Brachen visage. "Oh, it's on NOW, Bitch!" he growled as he pressed hsi attack. The mantis going on the defensive, managing to keep Bill at bay with it;s longer reach.

The two were at a stalemate. Bill couldn't get past the mantis's reach, but, he was no moving too fast for it to tag him. He looekd at the antennae on the creatures head and got an idea. Fainting right, eh went left and got around the creatures defenses, leaping onto it's back. The creature screeched and tried to buck him off, but Bill held tight, the two looking like soem sort of nightmarish cowboy and bronco for a few. Bill got a death grip aroudn the creatures "neck" with his left arm and swung with his right, hacking off one of it's antennae.

The effect was dramatic. Now disoriented and in pain, the creature started thrashing about wildly. Bill held on, swung, and severed the other antana. The creature went wild, thrashing and bucking. With effort, Bill brought his legs up and wrapped them around the creature, then let go of it's "neck". He raised the knife in both hands and plunged it downwards with all his might. The knife was shapr, well cared for, and the point severed the creatures exoskeleton and the knife p-lunged deeply into it's brain. The creature screeched and convulsed more as Bill turned and twisted the knife, destroying it's brain. It finally bucked him off, but it was too late. It collapsed to the floor and died.

Bill got up and stood there a moment, breathing heavily. That was FUN! he knew he had to make an anonymous call to 911 but first, had to dispose of the creature's body. He did the only thing he could think to do. He picked up the phone and dialed, saying "Hey Giles," when it was answered. They spoke a moment and Giles agreed to meet him there. He hung up and immediately collapsed to the floor again, clutching his head.

 _Two people, wrapped in robes, kneeling before, of all things, a cauldron, which was sitting on a large hot plate. There was a greenishm viscous liquid boiling in it. One of the girls, he could make out no features but could tell they were girls, was pouring something into the cauldron while the other chanted chanted in a language he didn't recognize. He had no clue who they were, or what they were doing._

Both vision and pain faded, but he had a residual headache after having two so clsoe together. He stood and cleared his head.

"What NOW?" he asked him self, then sat down to wait for Giles.

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A/N: To Harriet with Tea, I know you asked for more Buffy and Darla, and you'll get it next chapter, but, I felt the need to include a little action first. Sorry.

A/N2: Yeah, I sort of shrunk the events of Teachers Pet a little, The more i thought of it, it seemed like it would be cool to have her lure Bill to her place instead of Xander, and then have him take her out. Hope no fans of Teacher Pet have a problem with that. Hope you all enjoyed, and let me know what you think.


	10. Chapter 9: Little Witches Pt 3

A/N: I've edited the previous chapter to correct a mistake I made. I somehow thought that it had been Dr Gregory's head that had been found in the actual episode, not his headless body. So, I've edited the previous chapter to have Dr. Gregory's and the owner of the house's bodies fall out of that closet. Sorry for the mistake.

 **Chapter Nine: Little Witches Pt 3**

The Bronze was hopping. A local band called Dingo's Ate My Baby was playing and they were actually fairly good. The gang, minus Bill, had had tentative plans to meet here tonight, but Willow had never showed. Buffy had tried to call her earlier and ask her to invite Amy, but there hadbeen no answer at Willows. Buffy had also invited Tara, but the shy girl had begged off, leaving Buffy feeling like a third wheel hanging with Xander and Cordelia. She had to smile as she watched them together, good naturedly bickering. Despite years of animosity between then, they were actually very cute together. It was pretty clear niether of them were willing to call themselves a couple yet, but Buffy was pretty sure it was coming.

The three friends decided to take a break as the song changed, and walked to the table they'd been sitting at. On the way they ran into Harmony Kendall and some of the former Cordettes.

"Cordelia," said Harmony, looking disdainfully at Buffy and Xander. "it's nice to see you're well on the path to downward mobility with your new freak force buddies!"

"Harmony," said Cordy, rolling her eyes. "I didn't even think you KNEW phrases like "downard mobility". I'm impressed." She looked at the other girls. "Be honest, which one of you coached her?" Buffy and Xander laughed, as did one or two of Harmony's cronies. Harmony glared at them, then scoffed and walked away.

"it's nice to have that razor sharp tongue on our side," said Buffy as the three sat down.

"Pfft." said Cordelia. "I went EASY on her for old times sake" She looekd over and watched Harmony give the lead singer a little wave. "Oh please. Like Devon is REALLY going to start dating her again!"

"Harmony dated the singer?" asked Xander.

Cordy rolled her eyes. "Bill is friends with the band," she said. "Especially Oz." She indicated the short guitar player with the serene expression and reddish hair. "He plays guitar and would have joined the band but his football playing got in the way. Anyway, Harmony had a major crush on Devon and begged me to have Bill set them up. they dated a short tiem, then Devon broke it offbecause Harmony was "too shallow". Which is really ironic if you know Devon." Buffy noticed Xander bristle a bit at the mention of Bill. Cordy apparently did too. "You know that's ancient history, right?" she said softly.

Xander grinnd sheepishly. "Yeah," he said.

Buffy smiled and suddenly looked up. There, by the entrance, she saw Darla. They made eye contact, and Darla smiled at her, and casually walked outside. The band then started playing a slow song. "Hey you guys," Buffy said. "Three's a crowd, so, I'm just gonna hit it. Maybe actually do soem homework tonight."

Xander smirked as Buffy started tol gather her thigns. Both he and Cordy had seen Darla. "Ok, Buff," he said. "Be careful and we'll see you tomorrow."

Buffy said her goodnights and left. Cordelia shook her head. "What is the deal with those two?"she asked. She had missed most of the interaction between Buffy and Darla, but had seen just enough togetthe idea there was SOMETHING going on.

Xander chuckled. "I've been meaning to ask Bill about that," he said. "I'd say there is a little bit of crushing going on there.." He held out his hand. "May I have this dance, Milady?"

Cordy grinned and took his hand. "I would be delighted, kind Sir," she said. the walked out to the dance floor, all thoguths of blonde slayers and equally blonde mystery women going out of their heads.

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Buffy found Darla waiting outside for her. Buffy's breath caught as she took in the sigt. Darla looked stunning in a greay sweater, black slacks and a black leather jacket. "Hi, Slayer," she said, clearly eying Buffy up and down.

"Hi youself," said Buffy, blushing a little. "I haven't seen you for a few days."

"I've been trying to gve you some space while you thought about what it is you want," said Darla straightforwardly. "But, I thought tonight, I'd make sure you got home safely." the two started walking in the direction of Buffy's street.

"Wow, my own bodyguard," teased Buffy. "it's kinda cute that you think I NEED one."

Darla rolled her eyes. "I just meant see for myself you got home safely, smart ass," she said. "I know full well you can take care of yourself."

Buffy smiled as they walked along. "It's sweet of you to worry," she said. She shivered a little.

"You cold?" asked Darla.

"A little," said Buffy. She was herself only wearing slacks and a tank top. "It was warm earlier, so I dressed appropriately. I wasn't expecting the temperature to drop."

"here," said Darla. She took off her jacket and held it out. Buffy blushed a little as she slid her arms into it."

"Thank you," she said, looking into Darla's eyes. "You definately get gallantry points."

"It looks better on you anyway," said Darla, looking into Buffy's eyes. Both seemed frozen in time. They actually moved towards each other, slowly, almost tentatively, leaning in towards each other...

"Slayer!" came a gravelly voice from nearby. They both jumped and looekd over to see a large vampire with long dark hair and wild eyes. But, that was not his most striking feature. Where his right hand should be were three long, metal claws. He looked at Darla. "And YOU! The Master will reward me greatly for killing you both.

Unaware of Darla's vampiric nature, Buffy shoved her behind herself. "Wow. Great timing," she said, assuming a fighting stance. She indicated hsi claw. "What? They were out of hooks?"

Claw, which was the name Buffy had given him in her head, just snarled and lunged at her, swiping with his claw. Buffy ducked underneath, and stood up straight, bringing an uppercut up into his jaw, knocking him back. He snarled and charged back at her, again, swiping with his claw. Buffy blocked, catching hsi arm, and Darla punched him in the face. He ripped his arm from Buffy's grip and swiped the claw at Darla, who duicked, and Buffy kicked him in the ribs,making him grunt in pain.

The fight continued that way, Claw would swipe at one of them, who would duck, and the other would hit him. It quickly became apparent that Claw was a one trick pony, relying on his strength and his claw in a fight. He WAS strong though, and tough. Darla's punches and kicks didn't seem to really be fazing him, but she was doing a good job of distracting him so Buffy could deliver more punishing blows. Finally, Buffy caught his clawed arm an d landed three really hard punches in a row to his face, stunning him. She flipped him over onto his back and Darla pulled out a stake from the waistband of her pants and drove it home, making the vamp explode into dust.

The two girls stood there, clearly catching their breath. "Wow," said Buffy. "You have better moves than I thought you did."

"Yeah, well, you need to learn to fight if you're going to take vampires on," said Darla. She looked at Buffy mischeivously. "Glad you like watching my moves." Buffy blushed as the two continued their walk towards Buffy's house. The tingly feeling Buffy usually got in her tummy when Darla was around was REALLy tingling right now. Buffy blushed again as she realized watching Darla fight had aroused her.

The two walked the rest of the way to Buffy's house in companionable silence. When they got there, Buffy was surprised to see they were holding hands. somehow, she'd completely missed the linking up.

"This is your stop," said Darla, releasing her hand. She turned and gave Buffy a light kiss on the cheek, like she had done the first night she'd walked Buffy home. "Sweet dreams Slayer. And I hope you made the cheer team."

"Night," said Buffy shyly. "And thank you. Wait! How did you know about that?"

Darla turned and looked at her. "I talked to Bill before he went over to that teachers house," she said, grinning mischeivously. "And for the record, he's right. I'd LOVE to see you in that outfit." She laughed at Buffy's expression and left.

Buffy shook her head and watched Darla leave. "I am so going to kill that asshole," she muttered as she walked inside.

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"She was a giant preying mantis?" asked Cordelia as she, Xander, Buffy Bill and Giles had their morning briefing in the library. Willow was mysteriously absent. None of them had heard from her since tyrouts the day before.

"Yeah," said Bill. "She killed the old man who owned that house, and Dr. Gregory, and ate their heads! And she would have done the same to me. I've never been so glad to be a half demon.".

Then, of course, Bill and I spent half the night dismembering and disposing of her," added Giles with a yawn.

"I'm glad she picked you before me," said Xander, shuddering. "I'm just confused as to why you didn't see that there was something weird about her, like when you saw Jesse was a..." His voice trailed off and Cordelia squeezed his arm in sympathy. The Jesse wound was still so fresh for him.

"I have two theories about that," said Giles. "the first being that Bill's "sight" for want of a better term, is not infailable, especially if he is unfamiliar with the type of supernatural creature he is exposed to. Or, it's equally possible the Powers That Be only show him what they feel he needs to see." Buffy nodded distractedly. "Are you all right?" Giles asked.

"I'm ok," said Buffy, her voice a little thick. "I'm just sad about Dr Gregory. He was one of the few teachers here who didn't think I was a delinquent. I actually liked him."

Bill nodded in sympathy. "he was a bit of a hard case when it came to doing your work, but he was a good guy," he said. Then he frowned at the leather jacket Buffy was wearing. It looked familiar, but he was pretty sure he'd never seen her in it. "Is that a new jacket?"

Buffy blushed a little. "it's Darla's," she admitted. I ran into her on the way home from the Bronze last night. It was a little chilly out so she loaned it to me." Suddenly, she sat up straight. "Oh God! With all that was going on with Bill's story from last night, I totally forgot. We got attacked by a vampire last night. Some big guy with a claw in place of his right hand. He was tough but we took him out."

"A claw in place of his right hand?" asked Giles, looking thoughtful as he got up and went to grab a book off of one of the tables.

"NOT what you want when you have a bad case of jock itch!" mumbled Xander to Bill. Alas, he was not quiet enough as Cordelia elbowed him and Buffy gave him a disgusted look. Bill just chuckled as Xander "oof"ed and looked sheepish.

"Does that mean something to you?" asked Buffy as they all got up and followed Giles to the table.

"I think so," said Giles. He started flipping through the book. "I've been reasearching The Master and his known minions," he said. "In the diary of the Watcher of a Slayer in the 1940's, I found a reference to a vampire who was so feircely devoted to the Master, that one time when he displeased the Master, he cut off his own hand in pennance." He layed the open book on the table. "Is this him?" he asked. The boo kshwoed a very accurate artist's representation of the vampire Buffy had staked the night before.

"That's him, in all his ugly glory," answered Buffy.

"Giles," said Bill. "should we be worried about this? Does this mean the master has declared open season on blonde haired Slayers?"

Giles looked thoughtful. "Possibly," he said. "but it's equally possible that this particular vampire went out looking for Buffy on his own to curry favor with the Master. I'm afraid it's not possible to be sure unless Buffy is attacked by more of his known minions."

"Greeeat," said Bill sarcastically. "Always nice to know what we can look forward to."

"We'll just be extra careful," said Buffy, looking at her watch. "oh, Cordy, we need to get going if were going to check the bulletin board in the quad before first hour."

"I was actually just about to say that," said Cordelia as they all stood up. they said their goodbyes to Giles and left.

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The quad was crowded with student as Lisa pinned the sheet with the results on the bulletin board. Suddenly, a mass of girls swarmed the bulletin board.

"Ready to march into battle?" Buffy jokingly asked Cordelia, who looked both like she desperately wanted to know the results,, and yet, was worried about loisng a limb.

"I got this," said Xander, gallantly, as he went forward to check the results for them.

Buffy looked over and saw Willow, talking to Tara and Amy. Buffy had walked to school with Tara this morning, but, had had to take leave of her to make her meeting with Giles. She bill and Cordelia walked over to them.

"Hey you guys," she said. The yal lexchanged greetings. "Willow, nobody's heard from you since tryouts yesterday. I was getting worried."

"Sorry about that," said Willow sheepishly"Amy and I got together after school and kinda got caught up in what we were doing." Buffy noticed that Willow and Amy both looked kinda dejected.

Bill took a good look at Willow, Tara and Amy as Buffy made some joke about Willow being grounded next time she forgot to call. He saw the same thing he had seen when he first met Tara, a sort of inner glow, it was faint, but his Sight picked it up. Then, he noticed something else.

Willow and Amy now had the same glow.

Bill was just trying to puzzle this out when Xander trotted back over, rubbing his chest. "Those girls are vicious!" he said. "one of them punched me in the chest!"

"I'M going to punch you in the chest if you don't tell us what it said!" Cordelia griped at him.

"Sorry," said Xander, then he smiled big. "You all three got in! Amy, you must have done really well, because you got an actual title. "Second Alternate"."

"God, I can't believe this!" said Amy, looking crestfallen, as she stormed off.

"I'll talk to her," said Buffy starting after Amy but Cordelia grabbed her arm.

"Buffy, you can't," she said. "Lisa said yesterday she needed to see the ones that made the team first thing after she posted the results." Buffy nodded as the two went off. Xander just looked confused.

"Xander," said Willow exasperatedly. "The alternates are the girls who DIDN'T make the team."

"Y-yeah," said Tara. "th-they only fill in if s-something happens to one of the o-other girls."

Xander looked disgusted with himself. "for I am Xander," he said. "King of Cretins and all lesser Cretins must bow before me!"

Bill clapped him on the shoulder. "More like Court Jester Of Cretins," he said. He looked Willow and Taras in the eyes. "Don't worry," he said. "I've got this." He went off after Amy.

"I-I better get to class," said Tara. She said bye to Willow and Xander and left. The two shared their first hour, so they started walking there together.

"You ok?" Xander asked as they walked. Most everybody else had already made it to class so, there was nobody else in the halls.

"Yeah," said Willow, a little sadly. "Just, what Amy and I got caught up doing last night? It really didn't work out the way we'd hoped. Didn't work out at all, actually.

Xander, being a typical teenage boy, totally misinterpreted what Willow was saying. Having noticed the sparks between Buffy and Darla, he was wondering if maybe his best friend and Amy had doen a little experimenting. He stopped and turned to face Willow. "Will," he said, earnestly. "You knwo yo ucan tell me anything, right?"

"I know," said Willow, as she tilted her head to look him in the eyes for the first time this morning. "its just that..." She trailed off. Her eyes took on a very brief yellowish glow. As hers stopped glowing, Xanders too glowed, then stopped. The two just stood there, gazing into each others eyes.

"My God," said Xander. "Why have I never noticed before how beautiful your eyes are? I could start writing today, and write every day for the rest of my life and still never finish describing them."

"Xander," said Willow, breahtlessly love and lust in her eyes. "I've been in love with you for years. I can't believe I'm just now brave enough to tell you."

"But you're telling me now," answered Xander, moving closer, his voice barely above a whisper. "And I'm telling you, I love you too. and now that we've found each other, I'm never letting you go."

The two moved in and clsoed their eyes as their lips locked in a fiery, passionate kiss.

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"Amers, wait up," called Bill. amy just kept walking, but he finally caught up to her. "What do those girls know?" he asked. "Besides, you've never cared about cheerleading before."

"You don't understand," said Amy, crying. "My mom MADE me try out. Just like she MADE me lose the weight. She told me I was the daughter of Katherine The Great and I BELONGED on that team. And sher told me i wouldn't like what would happen if I didn't make the team. God, Bill I'm scared of her!" She looekd up, looking into Bill's eyes for the first tiem this morning. "What am I gonna do?" Her eyes breifly flashed with a yellowish glow, then so did Bill's.

"Don't worry," said Bill. "I'll protect you. I'll always protect you!" He looked more deeply into her eyes. "God, I see you almost every day but today, I feel like I'm seeing you for the first time!"

Amy looked back at him. "Every time I see you," she said. "it's like I'm seeing you for the first time. I lvoe you, Bill Doyle. Could yo uever love me?"

Bill took her in his arms. "What do you think?" he asked, then pressed his lips to hers in a fiery, passionate kiss.

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A/N 2: Yes, the dialogue between Xander and Willow then Bill and Amy at the end was INTENTIONALLY lame. I meant for it to sound every bit as bad as it did. Unless of course, it made yo uwant to gouge your eyes out. Self mutilation was NOT my intent.

Up Next. Love makes you do the wacky, top quote Buffy. Well, things get wackier


	11. Chapter 10 Little Witches Part 4

**Chapter Ten: Little Witches Pt 3**

 _Last Time:_

 _"I know," said Willow, as she tilted her head to look him in the eyes for the first time this morning. "its just that..." She trailed off. Her eyes took on a very brief yellowish glow. As hers stopped glowing, Xanders too glowed, then stopped. The two just stood there, gazing into each others eyes._

 _"My God," said Xander. "Why have I never noticed before how beautiful your eyes are? I could start writing today, and write every day for the rest of my life and still never finish describing them."_

 _"Xander," said Willow, breahtlessly love and lust in her eyes. "I've been in love with you for years. I can't believe I'm just now brave enough to tell you."_

 _"But you're telling me now," answered Xander, moving closer, his voice barely above a whisper. "And I'm telling you, I love you too. and now that we've found each other, I'm never letting you go."_

 _The two moved in and closed their eyes as their lips locked in a fiery, passionate kiss._

They kissed for a moment, holding each other close. Then, both stopped, but did not pull apart. Two pair of eyes popped open, then clsoed again as they deepend the kiss. Again, after a moment, both of their eyes popped open. Xander looked to the sky, and they slowly pulled apart, both blushing a little, both, especially Willow, looking confused.

"Well..." said Xander.

"Well..." said Willow.

"That was..." said Xander, searching for the right word.

"It was..." said Willow, having a similar problem.

"Weird," they both said simultaneously, referring to the kiss.

"It was like kissing..." started Xander.

"My brother," finished Willow. "And I don't even HAVE one!"

"I KNOW," said Xander, emphatically. "It was exactly the same for me. Well, not my BROTHER, because you're a girl. But it was like kissing my sister. Or I guess a cousin I was really close to." He grinned sheepishly as he babbled.

"Xander, shut up," said Willow. She was totally non plussed. After all this time, she'd finally kissed Xander, and it had, frankly, sucked. "I've had such a crush on you for so long."

"Wait, you had a crush on me?" asked Xander. "Where was I when all this happened?"

Willow smiled affectionately. "In Xander-Land," she said. "You know, where you ALWAYS are."

"That must be it," said Xander, smiling, feeling less awkward. "Will. I've ALWAYS been attracted to you. There have been a lot of times I wanted to kiss you. Or do other, naughtier, things with you. But, in the end, it always came back to the fact that, I kinda DO see you as my sister. I never thought to put it that way until now, but I do."

Willow rolled her eyes. "THIS is a fine time to find out you've had naughty thoughts about me," she said, giving him a small smile. "I always thought I didn't make a move because I was too shy. But, I'm just now realizing, I see YOU as my BROTHER. God. I feel so stupid."

"Nah," said Xander, putting a companionable arm around her shoulder. "And hey, I'm really flattered you had those feelings for me for so long." He smield at her again. "You are gonna make soem guy really happy."

"And hey, now that I'm over that crush on you, I can start looking for him," said Willow, brightly, making Xander laugh. Suddenly, she realized something. "Oh, heck!" she exclaimed.

"What's wrong?" asked Xander, really concerned.

"We're late for first hour!" she cried, grabbing his arm and dragging him along with her. "Come on! I've never been tardy before! Oh, this is gonna go on my permanant record! Al lthe colleges are gonna laugh at me and ostracize me! I'm gonna have to get a job driving a street sweeper, and I can barely drive a car!"

Xander laughed as she dragged him down the hall to their first hour class. That was his Willow!

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Bill and Amy blew off their first hour class and found a nice secluded spot, and spent the whole time her sitting on his lap, cuddling, kissing, and exchanging "I love you so much"'s. It was beautiful It was magical, and if anybody saw them, it would have been downright nauseating. Finally, however, the time came where they had to part.

"Do you really have to go?" asked Bill around Amy's lips.

"I DO," said Amy, kissing him again. ":I have a major test this hour and I can NOT miss it!" She laughed at his boyish pout and kissed his neck. "Don't worry, my Love," she whispered between kisses. "Well be together soon. And hey, let's go to the Bronze tonight. Then we can tell everybody about us!"

"I can't wait," said Bill with a big smile. "Until we meet again, every moment will be an eternity."

"You will be at the front of my mind all day," responded Amy. a few passersby saw them heard what they were saying, and rolled their eyes. Who TALKED like that?

"I love you!" they both said as Amy ran off to her next hour class.

"What the Hell?" came Cordelia's voice from behind him. "I KNOW I said I'd never date you again, but, didn't YOU tell ME you weren't going to be dating ANYBODY for awhile?"

Bill sighed. He cared about Cordy, and didn't want to hurt her, but, Amy was his everything. He turned to face Cordelia. The sun was behind her, so bright it made it difficult for him to see her. "Look, Cordy," he said, holding his hands up placatingly. "I know what I said, and I MEANT it. But, true love is true love. I just can't quiet the symphony that plays in my heart whenever she's around."

"Oh PLEASE,"scoffed Cordy, walking closer to him. "Seriously, did you raid a greeting card store or something? WHO talks like that?" "She grabbed his jacket and looked up into his eyes. "God, this totally isn't like you! I'd almost swear you were under a..." She trailed off as Bill's eyes took on a breif yellow glow, and her own eyes did the same. "And how DARE you kiss another girl?! You know I love you, Bill Doyle!"

"I know, Baby," said Bill softly. "I don't know WHAT happened back there. I don't love Amy. I love you, Cordelia Chase. My love for you is wider than the ocean, and hotter than the sun!"

"Maybe she, DID cast a spell on you," said Cordelia. "Maybe Amy is a witch or something. If vampires and demons exist witches must! How ELSe coudl she come between our love? This magical, beautiful love... mmmpf!" She traield off as suddenly, Bill grabbed her arms and puleld her in for a fiery, passionate kiss. Cordelia kissed him back, placing her hands on the sides of his face, trying to take control. They both kissed deeply

"What the HELL?" came yet another voice. They broke off their kiss and saw Xander standing there. "Ancient history, huh?" he scoffed. "You are quite a piece of work, Cordelia!"

"Oh, please, Little Man," said Cordelia, rolling her eyes. "As if you ever stodo a chance with me. You're not half the man my Bill is, Xander." She looked him in the eyes, and yes, both their eyes glowed breifly. Cordelia stopped, suddenly confused for a moment.

Xander turned on Bill. "SOME friend YOU are!" He yelled. "Tryign to come between a man and the love of his life!" Xander stepped forward fist raised and threw a sudden, vicious punch, catching Bill off guard and hitting him in the jaw.

"Oh, you really shouldn't have done that!" said Bill. "Cordelia is mine, Harris! You should never try to come between a man and what is his!" He punched Xander, knocking him to the ground and dazing him.

"Stop it!" yelled Cordliea. "Bill, leave him alone! I love him!"

Bill looked incredulous. "Now you've BRAINWASHED the one girl i could ever love?" he said. "Oh, you are a dead man Harris!" He reached down and pulled Xander off the ground, murder in his eyes. He unconciously switched to his Brachen face and wrapped his hand around Xanders throat, lifting him off the ground. Xander clawed at Bill's wrist as Bill choked him.

"NO! STOP IT!" screamed Cordelia, crying and beating on Bill's back. "Don't hurt him! Don't hurt my one true love!"

Something in Cordelia's words got through to Bill. He switched back to his human face and put Xander down. Cordelia pulled the coughing Xander into her arms, hugging him and crying.

"Fine!" grolwed Bill. "You want him take him. Just know that, I lvoe you and whatever happens next is on your head!" With that he took off.

"Oh my poor Baby," said Cordelia, kissing Xanders face. "Do you need to go to see the nurse?"

"No," rasped Xander. "I'll be ok. I've got YOU and that's all I will ever need!"

Cordelia smiled and leaned in. Their lips met, in a fiery passionate kiss.

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Amy barely made it through her math test in second hour. Her mind kept flashing back to her Bill, picturing their lives together, going to the same college, getting married, having kids, growing old together. She sighed as she absent mindedly turned her test paper in as she exited the class. Life couldn't be better.

"Amy," she heard as she opened her locker. She could tell from the voice it was Scott Hope. Scott was a nice guy, and really cute, with his awkward charm, but he was no Bill. She didn't look up.

"What's up Scott?", she asked, trying not to sound too bored.

"I was absent yesterday," said Scott. "I was hoping I could borrow your biology notes."

"Sure," said Amy, glad it was only that. She reached into her biology folder and pulled out her notes from the previous day. "Just get them back to me by..." She looked up and into Scotts eyes as she handed him the notes. her eyes briefly flashed yellow. So did his...

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Willow was still trying to puzzle out what had happened with Xander earlier. It made perfect sense to her that their kiss had been ruined by the fact that they considered each other siblings, even if she herself hadn't realized it until right that moment. No, she was more confused that after al lthese years, the two of them had professed thier love for each other, using such corny words, she might add, almost like they were under a spell or something, then, they'd kissed and the spell was broken.

Wait a minute? Spell?

But that was ridiculous. It couldn't possibly be related to the spell she and Amy had tried last night. It hadn't worked anyway.

 ** _Flashback:_**

 _Willow shook her head as she looked at the parchment Amy had handed her. "You say this is a spell?" she asked._

 _"Yeah," said Amy. "I've known there was something different about me all my life. Like this power just under the surface. Then, a few months ago, I wandered into a magic shop. The guy who worked there told me I had the potential to become a rather powerful witch. He sold me a spellbook that was in some moldy, dead language, and another book to help me translate the spells. I've cast a couple of minor spells. Then, I found this paper stuffed in the back of the book. I translated it and it's a spell to enhance ones attractiveness."_

 _"Why are you telling me all this?" asked Willow, confused._

 _"Because I think you have the potential too," answered Amy. "And from what went down earlier, I think both of our lives would be better if we were just more attractive. I'd make the cheer team and get Bill, and you could get Xander."_

 _Willow looked at the spell thoughtfully. "I'm in," she said._

 ** _End Flashback_**

Willow was drawn out of her musing as she ran into Jonathan Levinson as she entered the cafeteria. Johnathan was a nice boy, but one who even Willow found painfully geeky. It was no secret that Jonathan liked Willow, but, sad as ti was, she jsut couldn't return the feelings.

"Hey Willow," he said a bit shyly. "Want to maybe sit together?"

Willow looked into Johnathan's eyes and smiled kindly. Both of their eyes remained normal. "I'm sorry Johnathan," she said. "I already have plans." She loeokd over to see Buffy, Xander and Cordelia sitting together, Xander and Cordy sitting even closer than normal. The four of them, and Bill, had taken to eating lunch together. She chuckeld to herself. With her and Xander's new understanding, maybe she could start liking Cordy.

"Oh, ok," said Johnathon, looking a bit crestfallen. "Maybe another time." He went off to sit by himself.

Willow watched sadly, then got her lunch and went to join the others. By the tiem she got there, Willow noticed Buffy had caleld Tara over to join them. Her belly fluttered a little as she saw Tara there, for some reason. She really liekdthe shy new girl, and was a bit disapointed they couldn't invite her to join their Scooby Gang. "Hi guys," she said cheerfully as she sat down next to Buffy.

"H-hi, Willow," said Tara, her lookign down as her long bolnde hair covered half her face.

"Hey Will," said Buffy, rolling her eyes as Xander and Cordy appeared to be too busy sharing their lunch to say hello. Willow looekd over at the two and her brow furrowed. She knew there was soemthignbetween them, but, this seemed overly familiar. "So, where's Bill?" she asked, trying to ignore the two.

Buffy shook her head. "I haven't seen since this morning," she said. "But, it's not really unusual for him to blow off some classes."

"I th-think I saw him leaving the campus earlier,"said Tara looking up. "H-he looked angry or upset or something."

"He seemed ok when we saw him this morning," said Buffy looking concerned.

"Don't EVEN talk to me about HIM," snapped Cordelia, looking up. "He tried to choke my poor Xander earlier!"

"Wait, WHAT?" said Willow.

"He and Xander had a fight earlier," said Cordelia. She had the decency to look a little embarassed. "Over me."

Willow, Buffy and Tara all exchanged looks. Willow's eyes met first Buffy's then Tara's. Willows eyes briefly flashed. So did Tara's. They smield at each other shyly, each blushing a little. Willow was struck by how beautiful Tara's eyes were. How kissable her lips were. They stared at each other, mesmerized as Buffy quizzed Cordelia.

"Ok," said Buffy. "something weird is going on here. We I'm going to go talk to Giles. Can you guys look for Bill?"

Willow and Tara nodded absently. Cordelia and Xander didn't even bother responding.

Buffy looked at the four of them and shook her head, then went off to the library.

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Tara barely noticed Buffy leave. her eyes were aon Willow. She'd been attracted to the cute, shy redhead since the moment they'd met, but, she was sure Willow didn't return the feelings. Tara was very perceptive, and she'd picked up on how Willow had a thing for Xander. But, from the looks Willow was giving her, maybe she did like her. She noticed once Buffy was gone, Willow moved into Buffy's seat, which was next to Tara.

"Hi," said Willow, shyly.

"Hi," said Tara breathlessly. Goddes! She wanted to kiss those lips! Apparently, Willow did too, because Willow leaned in. So did Tara. Suddenly, though, Tara put a hand on Willow's shoulder and gently pushed her back. "Not here, Sweetie," she whispered. "Two girls kissing in the lunchroom is likely to cause a riot."

Willow sighed sadly and whispered "Janitor's closet?"

Tara giggled, but then, somethng Buffy said struck a cord. "W-0why was Buffy going to see the l-librarian?" she asked.

"Oh, she always goes to see Giles when the weird stuff starts," she said. "And Bill's behavior this morning definately qualifies. Imagine! Bill thinking i could love him over my Xander!"

"Well, I can see his mistake," said Xander. "Given what I walked into this morning."

"W-wait, what did you walk into?" asked Tara. She whimpered softly as Willow took her hand under the table, tracing little patterns on tara's hand with her thumb.

Cordy blushed. "Well, er," she said andwent on to tell the tale of she and Bill's meeting this morning."

"So, Cordelia, you were declaring your love for Bill, then, when Xander showed up, then you went right to Xander?"

"it was weird," said Xander. He looked at Willow. "It kinda reminded me of us earlier."

Tara felt a stab of pain at Willows guilty look. "What happened earlier?" she asked.

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"He tried to CHOKE Xander?" asked Giled incredulously. They were al llearning that Bill definately had a temper, but Xander was one of his closest friends.

"That's what Cordy and Xander said." answered Buffy. "Though, they were all over each other at lunch. Then, Willow and Tara, a new friend of ours, were making googly eyes at each other. Oh, and after second hour, I saw Amy Madison and a boy I think is named Scott, kissing by the lockers. Then on my way to lunch, I saw Scott kissing some girl I don't know. Then, on the way here, I saw Scott, Amy and Nameless Girl EACH kissing somebody else."

Giles looked thoughtful. "I admit, teenagers are known for being somewhat fickle, that that does seem awfully strange."

"Ya think?" scoffed Buffy. "Plus, those weren't just makeout kisses. Those were "I Love You" kisses.

"Where's Bill now?" asked Giles. now almost as concerned as Buffy.

"Tara said she saw him leaving campus angrily," said Buffy. "Giles, I'm worried. With his Brachen strength, Bill could have REALLY hurt Xander. What if he goes into a rage on someone else?"

"Yes," said Giles. 'We must find him immediately."

As the two were about to leave, Tara entered the library, Willow next to her holding her hand, Xander and Cordelia following. Tara moved clsoer, sniffed Willwo's hair thgen shook her head and turned to Buffy and Giles. "We have a big problem here," she said. "Cordelia told me Buffy and the others coem to you when weird stuff is going on. Well, I think we're all under a spell."

Giles looked at Buffy, stunned.

"Giles, this is Tara Maclay, the new friend I was telling you about," she turned to Tara. "What makes you say that?" She was thinking spell herself, but, wanted to know how the shy girl had come to that conclusion.

Tara took a deep breath, managed to breath in more of the scent of Willow's strawberry scented shampoo, and faltered. Noticing her interest, Willo leaned in and kissed her. Xander and Cordelia were likewise kissing.

Buffy and Giles exchanged a glance and went and pulled the two couples apart, Giles keeping Tara and Cordelia by him, Buffy keepign Willwo and Xander by her.

Tara seemed to make a visible effort to control herself. The started again. "From what Cordelia said, I'm g-going to g-go out on a l-limb and tell you. I-I'm a w-witch. S-so is m- my mother. I-it's been p-passed down on my m-mothers s-side for g-generations."

"My word!" exclaimed Giles. "White witch I assume."

"Y-yes Sir," said Tara looking down shyly. "Th-this has s-soem or the earmarks of a l-love spell, but not a-all. I-I've never h-heard of a love s-spell where s-someone can change...affections a-as quickly as Cordelia did."

"Nor have I," said Giles, thoughtfully. He looekd at Tara. "You look to be only minorly affected. And Buffy and I not at all."

Tara blushed she she looekd longinly at Willow. "I-I-I-I have lots of e-experience c-controlling my a-atractions," she said. "I m-might as well tell y-you. I'm g-gay. M-my p-parents p-picked up on it e-early on. M-mama was v-very supportive. D-Daddy tried to t-tell m-me I w-was sick. P-plus, w-we lived in a s-small town, so, I c-couldn't exactly be open about it."

"That makes sense," saiod Giles, a little embarassed to find otu so much about this girl on their first meeting.

"So," said Buffy. "if there IS a spell, who cast it?"

They all noticed Willow sheepishly raise her hand. "Well," she said. "Amy and I cast a spell last night, but, it wasn't a love spell. It was just a simple spell to enhance our own attractiveness. And it didn't even work!"

"Why did you feel you needed a spell for that Will?" asked Buffy softly.

"Well, Xander was so obsessed with Cordelia," she said. "And Bill wouldn't give Amy more than the time of day. Cordelia is so gorgeous, that we thought Xander and Bill would like us better if we were...prettier."

"And now people are macking on a different person every ten minutes and Bill tried to kill Xander," said Buffy. She looked at Giles. "You have anything?" she asked.

"I-I'm as stumped as you are," said Giles.

"W-Willow," said Tara, obviously undressing Willow with her eyes. "Where d-did you get the spell?"

"Amy had a spell book," said Willow, looking lovingly into Tara's eyes. "It was on a parchment stuffed in the back of it."

"We need that spell book," said Buffy.

"We also need to keep the four lovebirds here seperated," said Giles.

"And find Bill," said Buffy. She thought a moment. "Ok. Willow and Cordy go to Amy's house and get the book. Break in and steal it if you have to. Xander, Tara, you two stay here and help Giles research love spells and spells of attractiveness. While you're at it, you can fill Tara in in the sitch around here. I'm on Brachen patrol. I'm going to swing by Darla's and see if he went there. If not, she can help me search for him."

Everybody nodded. Giles, Xander and Tara went to research as Buffy, Willow, and Cordelia left.

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Willow gaped as Cordelia managed to jimmy open the front door to Amy's house with a credit card. "Where did you learn to do that?" she asked.

Cordy blushed. "I saw it in a movie once," she said. "And had to see if I coudl do it myself."

Willow chuckled as they entered the house. "You are always full of surprises."

Cordelia looked aroudn the living room as they walked towards the stairs.

There was a table by the stairs, and on the table, and the wall behind it, was practically a shrine to Mrs. Madison's cheerleader days. Cordy hook her head as they went up to Amy's room.

Will immediantely went to a trunk by Amy's bed and opened it. Cordelia noticed another shrine in Amy's room. Mrs. Madison was one strange lady! Then, Cordelia looked at the wall over Amy's desk. Hanging on a hook, was a thick leather belt.

"Got it!" said Willow triumphantly. She turned to see Cordelia staring at the belt.

"Is that for what I think it's for?" she asked.

Willow looked sad. "Amy made me promise not to ever tell ANYBODY," she said.

"Come on," said Cordelia. "We have to get to Giles." She took one last look at the belt as the two girls left. Cordelia had a bitchy streak, and was a very self centered person, but, she did have a heart and she did care about other people. And right now, her heart was breaking for Amy.

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Tara sighed as she closed yet another book. She'd found lots of spells of attractiveness, mostly glamors, but one or two that physically DID make one mroe attractive, but, none of them seemed remotely revelant to their current situation.

"Please tell me somebody is having more luck that I am," said Giles. He'd explained to her about Buffy being the Slayer and him being her Watcher. Tara had taken the news really well. She apparently knew that there were vampires and demons out there, so for her, it seemed comforting to know there was somebody to fight them.

"Not a bit," said Xander. "The love spells I've found are just too specific. "Make him love me" sort of thing."

Giles nodded as the doors burst open and in came Willow and a somewhat shaken looking Cordelia. "We've got it!" exclaimed Willow. She placed the book on the table and they all gathered round.

"This is in Sumerian," said Giles. "It's one of the languages I'm proficient in. This isn't a spell to enhance ATTRACTIVENESS. It's a spell to enhance ATTRACTION!"

"What, like magnets?" asked Xander confused.

Giles rolled his eyes. "No, Xander, I mean the attraction people feel for each other." He looked witheringly at Willow. "You never thought to check Amy's translation?"

Willow blushed. "Well, I didn't..." she started.

"Wait, I DID find something about THAT," said Tara, getting a book and opening it to the right page. Giles took it and read quickly.

"Yes, it looks like this spell all right," he said. "it's a fairly devious spell. Meant to enhance the attraction between two people to the point of love. The wizard who crafted it was a worshiper of Chaos. Basically, the spell is cast with a certain person in mind. Once the caster and the castee make eye contact, if they share a mutual attraction, they fall instantly in love. Here is the really devious part though. The spell spreads, like an infection. If the two seperate, and each of them meets someone else they are attracted to..."

"Then they each fall in love with the new person," said Willow. "So, I'm guessing, Cordy is more attracted to Xander than Bill, so, once Xander came in..."

"The spell t-transferred to Xander, but, wasn't b-broken for Bill, leading to Bill trying to kill Xander" finished Tara "Th-that's totally insidious."

"Indeed," said Giles. "And that explains what happened with Willow and Xander this morning. Their true feelings for each other were familial, brother and sister, so, once they kissed, the spell was broken." He turned to Tara. "Do you think you can come up with a counter spell? One that will work instantaneously and not have to be spread like the original spell?"

"I-I think so," said Tara. "But I'll need help wit hthe casting." She looked at Willow. "I see what Amy saw, Willow. You have the potential to becoem a pwoerful witch. Will you help me?"

"Of course,"said Willow, her eyes shining. She still felt the love for tara, and was still confused by it, but now that she kenw about the spell, it was getting easier to resist.

"Let's get started," said Giles.

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Darla had told Buffy where she lived in case of an emergency, so Buffy had headed straight there. She went up to the apartment and knocked, but there was no answer. She could hear activity on the other side, so she tried the knob. It was unlocked, so she opened it. She gasped at what she saw.

Darla was straddling Bill's lap. Bill's shirt was off and Darla was down to just her panties. "Oh God!" she exclaimed, not picking up that it was likely the spell. "I'm SO sorry."

Both Bill and Darla looked up. "Do you MIND?" asked Bill. Darla's eyes met Buffy's.

You guessed it. More with the flashing.

Buffy turned on Bill. "You BASTARD!" she exclaimed loudly.

Darla looekd totally embarassed and quickly grabbed an afghan to cover herself with. "Buffy, my Love, I am SO sorry!" she said. "I don't know WHAT got into me!"

"I'll deal with you later, Missy," snarled Buffy. "Right now, Casanova and I need to have a talk!" Her eyes met Bills, and the spell breifly too keffect, but Buffy's attraction to Darla was greater, so it fizzled quickly.

Bill, on the other hand, was equally attracted to both girls, and now, in love with both of them. "Hey, don't fight over me!" he said. "You know i lvoe you both. So much ,that the night grows darker when niether of you are around! Surely, we can work this out." He grinned lasciviously at both of them.

"EW!" said both girls at once. Darla jumped up and into Buffy's arms.

"Please don't be mad, Baby," she said. "You know it's you and only you that I love!"

Bill suddenly got enraged. "Oh that is totally ENOUGH!" he said, standing. "Ok, Summers, you want her, but are you ready to fight for her?" He went all Bracheny. Buffy noticed that., while the skin color covered his whole body, the spines only covered his face and neck.

Buffy shoved Darla behidn her. "You bet I am,"she snarled back and lept forward, catching Bil lwith a solid blow to the jaw. Bill staggered back and went through an end table, but jumped to his feet, raring to go. He charged forward, and caught Buffy up in a bearhug, and slammed her into a wall. Buffy groaned and almsot headbutted him, but thought the better of it, Instead, she braced her feet against the wall and pushed, propelling them both out of the room and through a window. The fell two stories and hit the ground, Buffy on top of Bill.

Darla ran and looekd out the window. Luckily, there was a shadow from the buidling across the alley, so she wasn;t exposed to the sunlight. "Kick his ass, Buffy!" she called out, as the two struggled to their feet, both clearly hurt but not injured by the fall.

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"Ok," said Tara." I think I have it!"

"Good," said Giles. "What do we need to do?"

"All five of us join hands," explained Tara. "Cordelia and Xander have no real magical talent, but, since they are affected by the spell, it will help to have them in our circle. "Then, we chant the spell." She quickly taught them the spell she'd written and they all joined hands. "We may have to repeat the spell several times," she said.

They all nodded andbegan to chant.

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Amy walked through the quad, her mind on Brad. Oh Brad! Suddenly, she walekd right into Daniel Osbourne, or Oz as he was known. Oz was a year ahead of her, and she'd always thought he was cute.

"Hey," said Oz. "sorry about that."

"Oh no," said Amy. "I wasn't watching where I was going." She loeokd at hi mand their eyes met, and flashed briefly.

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The fight between Bill and Buffy was in full swing. Luckily, nobody was around, so nobody called to report the weird lookg guy fighting the petite blonde girl.

Buffy launched a spin kick, knocking Bill into some trash cans. He groaned and got to his feet, and threw one at her. She barely dodged but, that left her open to a vicious right hook. She staggered back a bit as Bill pressed his advantage. They stood there exchanging blowsfor a moment, Bill gettign a slight upper hand. Until that is, a trash can impacted with his head and sent him down to his knees. Buffy looked and saw Darla, wearing a shirt and panties, holding a dented trash can. Buffy reached out and took Bill's head in her hands, prepared to snap his neck.

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At the library, Tara, Giles, Willow, Xander and Cordelia chanted the spell for the fifth time. Suddenly, a yellowish glow emanated from all of them, and spread out over Sunnydale high. All over the school, peoples eyes breifly flashed once again, breaking the spell. Couples locked in passionate embraces suddenly broke apart, both memebers looking embarassed.

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The spell broke just as Amy and Oz were about to kiss. They both looekd at each other for a moment.

"Bronze tonight?" asked Oz in his usual taciturn way.

"Ok,"said Amy a touch breathlessly.

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"Buffy, STOP!" yelled Darla as the spell broke.

Buffy's eyes widened in shock. She let go of Bill's head and helped him to his feet. "Oh, God, Bill!" she said. "I'm so sorry!"

Bill stood there, rubbing his head, switching back to his human form. "No, it's ok," he said. "I was just as crazy as you were."

"What was all THAT about?" asked Darla, unable to look at Bill.

"Giles and the others were looking to see if we were all under some sort of spell," said Buffy. "I think it's safe to say we were, and they broke it."

"Yeah," said Bill as the three headed back up to Darla's apartment. Bill noticed that the shadow from the building across the way covered the whoel alley, protecting Darla from the sun. "We better go check in with them." He grabbed his shirt and put it on."

"You guys go ahead,"said Darla, as Bill grabbed his jacket. "I need to get dressed. I'll catch up at the library."

Bill and Buffy both nodded and left.

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That evening, the gang met at the Bronze, sans Darla and Giles. They were all sitting at a table together, going over the events of the day. Willow was sitting next to Tara, and Xander and Cordelia were sitting next to each other, but all four were a bit subdued. The effects of the spell had left all of them with soem thinking to do.

Bill looked over and saw Oz alone. "Huh," he said. "Oz said he and Amy had a date tonight."

"Oh," said Cordelia. "We won't be seeing Amy for a day or two. A social worker came and took her out of that house. Apparently, they got an anonymous call that Amy's mother was abusing her. I heard that when the cops shwoed up, Mrs. Madison broke down and confessed everything."

"Harsh," murmured Xander.

Willow looked at Cordelia. "Did you...?'

"We did," said Buffy. "Or rather, Cordy came and told me what she saw at Amy's house, and she and I went to Giles, who made the call. Amy had told me a few things earlier."

Cordelia shuddered. "We couldn't leave her in that house." Everybody noded.

"I'm proud of both of you," said Bill. "I know it wasnt easy, but, Amy's lucky to know you guys." He held up his soda, toast style. "And I woudl like to propsoe a toast myself. To Tara Maclay, the newset of the Scoobies."

"Hear hear," the others said and raised their glasses as Tara blushed.

"It's gonna be great to have a bonafied witch on our team,"said Buffy.

"Hopefully, three," said Tara. "I-I'm going t-to be training W-Willow and Amy in how to use their magical ability.

Bill had approached Tara earlier and asked her to do just that. He'd had a vision, and though it confused him, he knew somebody had to make sure Willow and Amy learned the right way to do magic. He shuddered a bit as the vision, disjointed scenes really, played themselves out in his head.

 _Amy chanting a spell to a dark goddes and Buffy turning into a rat._

 _A tearful Tara carrying a box of her belongings past Willow, apparently moving out, From where, Bill wasn't sure._

 _Willow and Amy, floating in the air, dazed looks on their faces, clearly high as kites as a strange man looekd on._

 _Willwo magically driving a car with a teenage girl sittign enxt to her. Then the car hit something, injuring the girls arm._

 _And finally, Willow, all dressed in black, her eyes black veins in her face sticking out as she blasted Xander with magic._

Bill knew they had to do their best to keep this vision from ever coming true.

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A/N: Wow, we come to the end of another "episode". I really hope you all enjoyed it. My thanks for the follows, favorites and reviews I have gotten. Please let me know what you think of this one.

A/N2: He doesn;t read the stories on this site, but a special thanks goes out to my friend Jeff for the idea of the spell of attractionbeing mis translated into a spell of attractiveness. He used the same thing in the Buffy The Vampire Roleplaying Game we used to play, though, I did a few things differently.


	12. Chapter 11 First Date Pt 1

A/N: Some of you may be reading both this story and Charming The Slayer by Aphantasm, which was inspired by this story. You may also notice we are using the same title for the chapters based on "Never Kill A Boy On The First Date". I jsut want to make sure everybody understands, that is a total coincidence and niether of us is ripping off the others episode title. LOL.

 **Chapter Eleven: Never Kill A Girl On The First Date Pt 1**

Bill leaned back against a headstone and watched as Buffy did her thing. He was supposed to watch out for Buffy and help her out, but Giles had wanted to evaluate Buffy's performance as a Slayer, so, Bill had agreed to stay out of it, though he had insisted on coming along just in case things got hairy.

Buffy kicked the vampire she was fighting in the face with a roundhouse kick, making him take a step back to retain his balance. He retaliated with a twisting crescent kick whic she ducked under. He threw a few more punches, which Buffy blocked, grabbing his arm on the third one, then she hit him in the face with a snap kick, then let go of his arm and punched him in the mnidsection, sending him to the ground.

"I don't think we've been properly introduced," she said, pulling out a stake. "I'm Buffy and you're..." She plunged the stake into his heart, dusting him. "history."

Bill started over towards her. He loved watching both she and Darla fight. He and Buffy exchanged a smile.

"Poor technique," said Giles, popping up from behind a tombstone, making Buffy's smile fall. "Prioritizing, sub-par. Execution was adequate, though a bit bloody for my taste."

They both rolled their eyes. "Giles, don't mention it," said Buffy sarcastically. "It was my PLEASURE to make the world safe for humanity once again!"

"Yeah Giles," agreed Bill. "Can we look at the big picture here? Buffy, alive. Vampires, dead, or more dead. I call that a successful night!"

Giles sighed. "I'm NOT saying your methods are without merit," he said. "It's jsut that you're...uhm...spending too much time and energy. It should be simply plunge and move on." He pantomimed stakign a vampire for enmphasis. "Plunge and..." He stopped and looked at the ground where the vampire had fallen. "Hello." He took out a pen and used it to pick up a ring.

Bill and Buffy both looekd at the ring. "Oh GREAT," said Buffy. "I kill them and you fence their stuff!"

Bill nudged her with his elbow and looked at the ring. "What is it?" he asked.

"I don't know," andswered Giles, staring at the ring with his "heavy concentration" face.

"But it bothers you," Buffy said rather than asking.

"A bit," answered Giles. "I thought this was jsut a random kill. But we may have stumbled onto something else."

"Something big?" asked Bill.

"Possibly," answered Giles." I'd best consult my books."

"Ok," said Bill. "You hop into the rust bucket, and go do that, and I'll make sure Buffy gets home." Bill wanted to talk to Buffy alone.

Giles huffed. "There is nothing wrong with my car," he said of his beloved Citroen. "It's certainly NOT a rust bucket!"

"There's nothing RIGHT with it either," said Bill, giving Giles that cocky grin he was becoming known for. Giles jsut shook his head as the two walked him to his car. He was glad Buffy had Bill around to help her out, and he was actually becoming fond of the lad, but, he could be SO infuriating!

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Across town, in his lair, The Master slammed a book down on his lecturn and opened it. Several of his minions cringed at the display of temper from their sometimes volatile Lord.

"'And there will come a time of crisis, of worlds hanging in the balance'," read the Master, seemingly calmly. "'And in this time, shall come the Annointed. The Masters greatest warrior. And the Slayer will not know him. She will not stop him. And he will lead her into Hell.' So it is written, so shall it be." He picked up the book and started walking. "'Seven will die, and one will rise, to free the Master. And the Brotherhood of Aurelius shall greet him, and usher him to his immortal destiny.""He stopepd by one of his minions. "'And one of the Brethren shall go hunting and get himself killed the night before because he couldn;t wait and finish his job before he ate!' Oh, wait." He grabbed the minion by his throat "THAT'S not written anywhere!" He lkifted the minion off the floor, his feet dangling. "The Annointed One will be my greatest weapon against the Slayer! If yo ufail to bring him to me, if yo uallow that girl, or her Brachen pet, or even Darla to STOP you..." He slamemd the minion down into a nearby casket and closed the lid. "Here endeth the lesson." He quietly stalekd away, leaving quaking minions in his wake.

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"You know, I CAN get home safely by myself,"said Buffy amusedly. "Something on your mind?"

Bill chuckled. "Come now, Buffy," he said. "You know, there is seldom much going on up here." He pointed at the side of his head.

Buffy laughed. "Don't even START," she said. "Sometimes yo utry to act like the big dumb guy, but you're not fooling anybody. Except maybe Xander."

"Well, Xander IS a dumb guy," Bill quipped. Then he looked at her more seriously. "You've been a little distracted since Willow and Amy's spell. I jsut wanted to make sure you're ok, in general, and that you and I are ok, more specifically. I mean, you DID catch Darla and I in a rather compromising situation."

"Ya think?" said Buffy, flashingback to Darla, clad in only a pair of panties, straddling Bill's lap when she walked in. She WAS a little jealous but, if she was honest with herself, she was more jealous that Bill had seen Darla mostly naked before she had. She blushed a little. "We're FINE Bill," she said sincerely, stopping and putting a hand on his arm. "I KNOW niether of you would do that to me while I was still working out what I want. I KNOW it was the effect of the spell. I mean, sure, you guys are attracted to each other, you'd both have to be blind not to be. I don't get jealous over attraction, I get jealous over actions, and niehter of you was in control of yours."

Bill smiled. "Thanks," he saidf. "That means a lot. But how about the other part of my question?"

Buffy sighed. "I guess I AM distracted," she confessed. "I mean, when my eyes met yours, I WAS a little affected by the spell. I felt my attraction to you, but, my attraction to Darla was stronger." She shook her head. "I just don't get it! I've never been attracted to other girls before. I look at Willow, Amy, Harmony, nothing. There's a LITTLE something when I look at Cordelia, but again, I'm not BLIND, and I don't go into visions of throwing her on a bed or anything. More like "Niiice"."

Bill chuckled. "So, you want to throw Darla down onto a bed?"

Buffy scowled at him. "Are you going to talk to me seriously, or are you going to pick on me?" she asked.

"I can't do both?" Bill fake whined. "Ok, I'm sorry. I'll try to behave."

"It's just really confusing," Buffy continued. "I mean, clearly I'm not gay brcause I'm attracted to guys. But, I don't THINK I'm bi because I'm not feeling attraction to other girls except for Darla. But the attraction, the STRONG attraction, to Darla says "not exactly straight" to me."

Bill shrugged. "Maybe it's not about sexuality," he offered.

"IIIIIIII'm pretty sure it is," said Buffy.

"Ok, in a WAY it is," Bill conceded. "Tell me Buffy. What do you feel when you look at Darla? When you spend time with her. Naughty thoughts aside."

Buffy actually smiled at that light tease and closed her eyes, mentally reliving every moment she'd spent with Darla. "I feel...right," she said. "When I'm with her, I feel like I belong there. Like I've found something i didn't know was missing. Like I know I can do anything, face anything, if we're together." She looked up into Bill's eyes. "Bill, I'm not ready to say "in love" but, I DO love her. At least on some level."

Bill smiled. "Then, maybe it's not a boy or girl thing," he said. "Maybe it's not you being gay, or straight, or bi thing. Maybe this is a DARLA thing. Maybe, it's all about her, and something you see inside of her."

Buffy smiled warmly. As much as she, and Darla, and Cordy liekd to tease him about being an asshole when he gave them a hard time, Bill really WAS a sweet, caring, insightful guy. "Thank you, Bill," she said. "I mean it. That helps a lot. I have some clarity now."

"Oh?" asked Bill.

"Yeah," said Buffy. "I think I owe it to Darla, and to myself, to try a date and see where we go from there. I owe it to us and...I WANT it."

Bill smiled and put an arm around Buffy's shoulders and walked her the rest of the way home in companionable silence.

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	13. Chapter 12: First Date Pt 2

_**Rune Tobor: I usually answer reviews in PM but, as you reviewed as a guest, going to have to do it here.**_

 _ **Starway Man's story is the only other place I've seen Darla take Angel's place. Doesn;t mean others haven't done it, it's jsut the only place I've seen it. And it was after I'd started this story that i saw his.**_

 _ **Sorry you're disapointed about Jesse dying like in canon. Some of thsoe thigns you mentioned woudl be interesting, but, unfortunately, Jesse's death is kinda important to Xander's character growth. I do have to other stories starting at the start of Season One though. The Chosen Four and My Immortal. I have a kind of interesting idea, so he may survive one of thsoe two stories.**_

 _ **Your thoughts on a vampire using captive people as cattle are interesting, and there are probably vampires out there who would do that, but, remember, the Master needed the slaughter so he could be freed. And remember, he DoES soemthing like yo usaid in the alternate universe of The Wish.**_

 _ **We'll have to disagree about Cordelia. I think she found soemthing brave and at least mildy heroic in both herself and Xander in that scene.**_

 _ **Magic addiction may not have been brought up early in the series, but, Willow and Tara DID disagree about some of Willows magic use as early as season 5. It kidna makes sense to me that soemthing like magic woudl be addictive. And have a Dark Side that one could fall to like Willow did after Tara's death. Glad you liekd me having /Tara start Willow's,and Amy's, training.**_

 _ **Glad you're enjoying the story.**_

 **Chapter Twelve: Never Kill A Girl On The First Date Pt 2**

The next morning, as Bill sat at a table in the library, a pile of books around him, Buffy sat ON the same table, studying the ring. It was a creepy looking thing, though, Buffy could not for the life of her identify what was creepy about it. She looked up as Giles made his way down to her from the stacks, leafing through a book.

"That symbol on the ring," he said without looking up."I believe it's the rune for fidelity, but, uh, it doesn't seem to connect with any of the sects I've studied."

"What about this?" asked Buffy, showing Giles the ring. On the inside band was anm engraving of a sun and three stars. "On the inside. Haven;t we seen that before?"

"Let me see," said Giles, taking the ring, frowning as he studied it. "No, I-I don't think this, um, represents anything."

"That's a little premature, G-man," said Bill, standing and holding out a book for both of them to see. "It's right here. Sun, three stars."

Buffy looked over his shoulder. "Yuck. Check those guys out," she said. She looekd to Giles. "Told you it looked familiar."

Giles took the book and read. "Oh. The Order of Aurelius. Yes, you're right," he somewhat grudgingly admitted. "And don't call me "G-Man"," he added to Bill.

Buffy gave Giles a cocky grin. "Ooooo. Two points for the Slayer, a point for the Half-Demon while the Watcher has yet to score!" Bill chuckled as Giles glared at her. All three looked up as they heard someone enter the library.

Buffy grinned as a girl named Shannon walked in. She was a really pretty girl with long, wavy brown hair, wearing tight black slacks and a white blouse. Buffy only knew her a little. She was a smart girl, but seemed to be a bit of an outsider. And she knew Bill liked her. she had just been teasing him a couple of nights ago. It was only fair after all the grief he gave her about Darla. The thing that confused Buffy was, Bill didn't lack confidence with girls, he'd dated Cordelia for crying out loud,but, he seemed really reluctant to ask Shannon out.

"Hey, Shannon," said Bill smiling.

"Hi Bill, Hi Buffy," she said, smilingback then giving them a smirk. "Study group?"

A bit flustered at being interrupted, Giles looked at Shannon. "What do you want?" he asked a touch rudely.

Shannon gave him a confused look. "Gee, maybe a book?" she said sarcastically, making Bill chuckle.

"See,"said Buffy sassily to Giles. "this is a school, and in America, schools have students, and the students come to the library and check out books, and then...they LEARN stuff!" Bill and Shannon both laughed.

Giles gave Buffy a hard glare. "I was beginning to suspect that was just a myth," he said sarcastically. He pointedly looked away from Buffy. "What can I help you find?" he asked her.

"I was looking for a book on Ancient Roman ceremonial weapons,' said Shannon. "I'm doing a report for history class."

Bill stepped in front of Giles. "Oh, I know where stuff like that is," he said. "C'mon, I'll show you. That's an interesting topic."

"Well, I've always liked swords and knives and stuff," said Shannon as they walked. "Mr. Collins said we could choose any subject we wanted, so long as it was in the time period."

"Cool," said Bill, finding the right section. He turned and glared at Buffy who was smirking at him. "I'm a little surprised though. I wouldn't have pegged you for a weapon lover."

Shannon picked two books and smirked at him. "So, you've given it soem thought?" she asked flirtatiously.

Bill grinned back. "Well, maybe a LITTLE," he said. "You know, when you're in math class, and the teacher is droning on, and yo usee a pretty girl two rows in front of you, you can't help but think about what she's like."

Shannon shook her head. "Not really," she said as they took her books and walked to the check out counter. "I don't get distracted by pretty girls too often."

"The important part is, you do soemthimes," Bill teased, making Shannon elbow him in the stomach.

"Shut up," she said playfully as Giles took her books.

"Yes," said Giles, scanning the books and Shannons card. "These should be very helpful."

"Thanks," said Shannon, taking the books and her card and smiling at Giles. She turned to Bill. "I'll see you in math. I'll try not to be TOO distracting."

"Don't bother on MY account," Bill quipped as Shannon left. She looekd over her shoulder, smield and waved.

"So," said Giels once she was gone, immediately returning to buisness. "The Order Of Aurelius is a very old and venerated sect. If they're here, it's for a good reason."

Buffy, totally ignoring Giles, moved closer to Bill. "You loooooove her," she singsonged.

"Shut up,"said Bill, a lot more seriously than Shannon had said it to her before.

"You're gonna maaaaaaaaarry her," Buffy continued.

"Look," said Bill, exasperatedly. "Yeah, I like her. But it was just a little flirting. I'm not going to be dating anybody right now."

"Just last night I decided to ask Darla out, and you encouraged me,"said Buffy, getting a little aggravated with him. "I may have been teasing yo ua little, but she's pretty and nice and you two get along. Ask her out for God's sake!"

"Darla?" asked Giles confused. "You're going on a date with Darla?"

Buffy mentally kicked herself. She hadn't meant to mention that in front of Giels just yet. Old people could be weird about that sort of stuff. "I haven't asked her yet,"said Buffy. She looked at Giles challengingly. "But yeah, I like her in a dating way. I like a girl in a dating way. Do you have a problem with that?"

Giles looked flustered. "W-well, no," he answered. "Not the fact that she's a girl. "But Buffy, you're the Slayer." He turned to Bill. "And the Powers That Be have charged you with helping Buffy. Niether of you can afford to let things like dating get in theway of your duties."

Bill looked at Giles. He was angry. "Look, G-Man," he said, pointedly calling Giles "G-Man". "You're Buffy's Watcher, not mine. So, I'll thank you to trust me to know my duty, and back off!"

"Ok, ok, you guys," said Buffy, trying to stem off the explosion. "Order Of Aurelius, Vampire. Time to concentrate."

Both glared at each other, but nodded and turned back to the books.

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"Bill and Shannon Mosely?" asked Willow as she and Buffy waited in the lunch line to pay for their lunches.

"Well," answered Buffy. "it's not exactly a "Bill and Shannon" thing yet. They were just talking and flirting in the library earlier. But they were totally into each other. It was really kinda cute."

Willow smiled. "I'm glad," she said. "Xander and I weren't exactly friends with him when he and Cordelia were dating, but, I know he went into a funk after he broke up with her. I really don't think he's dated anyone since."

"Well, I imagine it's really hard to find out yoru father is a demon..." she broke off as she discovered she was next in line and that the lunch lady was staring at her.",,,,strator. For products at the mall. As his second job. Nobody likes to find out their Dad has a second job." The lunch lady just ignored Buffy and took firs hers then Willows money. The two started towards a table where Bill, Tara, Xander, and Cordy were sitting. "How are the magic lessons going?"

"Willow brightened immediately. "Oh, it's great," she said. "Amy knows more than I do, but Tara says I have more actual talent. She said Amy may not have managed the attraction spell with anybody else."

Buffy grinned at Willow's enthusiasm. "And with Tara herself?" She shook her head at Willows shocked look. "Oh come on, Will. The whole gang knows the spell affected the two of you."

"I know," said Willow, chewing her bottom lip. "It's just really new to me. Being attracted to girls. We talked about it, and she understands that I need tiem to figure things out." She paused. "Are you ok with all that?"

Buffy laughed out loud and shook her head. "Will,"she said softly. "I think you may be the only one who hasn't noticed, well, you and Giles, but, I've kinda been going through the same thing myself. With Darla."

Willow looked at her. "I wondered,"she said. "I thought there might be something there, but, I'm not exactly well versed at love, so thought it might be in my inagination."

"Well, it's not," said Buffy, smiling affectionately as she saw Cordelia roll her eyes at Bill and Xanders antics. "I've been trying to figure this stuff out for awhile now. Bill was really helpful last night."

Willow smiled. "Good,' she said. "he's really a lot smarter than everybody thinks he is."

"I think he's smarter than HE thinks he is," Buffy chuckled. The two approached the table and greeted everybody. Buffy sat next to Bill and Willow sat next to Tara.

Xander held up his fork. "Has anybody given any thought as to what thsi green stuff is?" he asked, pondering the complexities of school cafeteria food.

"I'm MAJORLY avoiding the subject," said Cordelia, wrinkling her nose. Tara nodded in agreement.

"I'm going with kale," said Xander. he thought a moment. "Or possibly string cheese." Cordelia laughed and nudged his arm with her elbow. The two really seemed to be boardering on boyfriend/girlfriend territory. Xander turned to Buffy and Bill. "So, how'd it go last night?"

"It went fine, thank you," said Buffy. "Looks like there's soem new hoidy toidy vampire sect in town."

"But it keeps us from getting bored, and brings in the much needed tourist dollar," Bill put in. "So, it's all good." They all chuckled lightly.

"Buffy," said Willow. "Look over there."

Buffy turned, and saw Darla standing there, almost in the shadows, smiling at her. She smiled. "Excuse me guys," she said, getting up and walking over.

She saw Darla smirk as she got closer. "Hey Slayer," she said.

"I didn't think you went to school here," said Buffy, teasingly.

Darla laughed lightly. "Nah, I'm a tiny bit older than you," she said. "I came by to see you. And to tell you something."

"What's up?" asked Buffy, a little disapointed that seeing her was not the only reason.

"Don't pout," Darla gently teased. "What I have to say COULD have waited, but I couldn't wait to see you." She guided Buffy over to a table in the corner and they sat down, next to each other, their backs to everybody else in the cafeteria. Buffy rested her hands on the table and Darla rested one of her hands on top of Buffy's. Buffy felt a thrill go through her as their skin touchedos barely noticing that Darla seemed tobe one of those people who always had cold hands. "I jsut wanted to tell you, I think something is up. Could be something big. There haven't been any incidents, just a feeling I have."

"Yeah, I took out a vamp last night that seems to be part of some sect or something," she said. "Giles is in full reasearch mode."

"Good," said Darla, her thumb tracing little circles on Buffy's hand. Buffy made a contented sigh. "You and Bill both have my number if you need any help."

"Yeah,"said Buffy, a little dreamily. She reached down and plucked up some courage. "Darla?" she said.

"Yeah?" said Darla just as dreamily.

"I think I've figured out what I want," said Buffy. "About us."

"Yeah?" said Darla, obviously suddenly nervous.

"I want us to have a date and see where thigns go from there," said Buffy. "Bronze, tonight?"

Darla smiled. "I'd love to, Buffy," she said. "Meet you there at eight?"

"Eight is perfect,"said Buffy. "Want to come over and sit with my friends and I?"

"No thank you," said Darla. "I have some errands to run, then i have to go home and get ready. I have this big date tonight I want to look perfect for." Both girls laughed softly and leaned closer together. To msot observers, it just looked like the two pretty blondes were whispering to each other.

"Ok,"said Buffy, she quickly, softly kissed Darla, this time full on the lps, then looked to make sure nobody saw her. "Bye, Darla. See you tonight."

"Bye, Slayer," said Darla, then she got up and left. Buffy stood and made her way back to the rest of the Scoobies.

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"Who's that?" asked Tara as Buffy and Darla sat down.

"That's Darla,"said Bill with a smile. "The one we told you about."

Cordelia and Xander exchanged a glance as the two girls sat close to each other. "Do you think...?" she asked.

"I think," said Bill, Willow and Xander smiling. Tara watched the two and got the message.

A year ago, Cordelia would have been apalled. Even now, she didn't understand the whole gay thing, but, between observing Buffy and Darla, then Willow and Tara during the whole spell fiasco, she found she was becoming more tolerant. Buffy and Willow were becoming her friends, and she just wanted them to be happy. "Good," she said. "Good for her."

Bill looked around the table. Everybody was paired off it seemed. Buffy had just asked Darla out, Xander and Cordy were doing well, and even though he was pretty sure Willow was trying to figure things out, she and Tara were clearly into each other. Even Oz and Amy had been out on a few dates. Bill looked over and saw Shannon sitting by herself. "Excuse me guys," he said and got up and walked over to her. "Hey you," he said to her. "Mind if I sit down?"

"Of course not," said Shannon. "And Hey back. How are you?"

"Doing good," said Bill. "You?"

"I'm good," said Shannon. "Those books are already a big help."

"Good," said Bill, fidgiting a bit. "God, it's been SO long since I've done this." Shannon just looked at him, raising an eyebrow. Bill took a deep breath. "I haven't dated anybody since Cordelia," said Bill. "Mostly because my life's gone through a lot of changes lately. But, I look at you, and then we had our conversation this morning, and all I can think is "I want to take this girl out." On a date. Not mobster "take her out". But you probably got that, huh?" She shook hsi head at himself. "Told you it had been a long time."

Shannon sat there and chuckled softly. She'd always thought of Bill as very confident and together, but, him being so nervous right now, well, she found it endearing. "And yet, with al lthe stumbling, you're doing it pretty well. And yes, I'd love to go out with you."

Bill gave her a big dopey grin. "Tonight?" he asked. "Bronze?"

"I'm afraid my grandparents are coming over tonight," said Shannon, rolling her eyes. "It's not always the most thrilling of evenings, and Gramps does smell of moth balls,but they're sweet. Tomorrow night? And how about dinner rather than the Bronze?"

"That works for me," said Bill. "And thank yo ufor not running and hiding at my gooberness."

"It was very sweet," said Shannon smiling. She looekd at the clock. "Oops, I need to meet my councillor before my next class. See you tomorrow night, if not before."

"Bye, Shannon," said Bill as she stood and left. Wow. He'd done it. He had a date tomorrow night.

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Everybody split off as lunch ended, Buffy and Willow stil ltalking about Buffy's date as Bill walked along behind.

"It's really not that big of a deal," said Buffy, totally unconvincingly. "It's just the Bronze."

"It's TOTALLY a big deal!" argued Willow. The two went into a round of "is not" "Is too" for a few when Willow saw Giles coming towards them. "Tell her, Giles!"

"I'm afraid it's very big," said Giles grimly.

"Thank you," said Willow, smiling victoriously. Then she stopped. "Wait, what?"she said. Giles turned towards the library, the other three following him.

"What are yo utalking about?" asked Willow, pretty sure Giles had been referring to somethign completely dfferent.

Giles looked at her, frowning. "What are YOU talking about?" he asked.

"Buffy's date," said Willow and Bill together.

"Giles rolled his eyes. "Well, I'M talking about trouble," he said. "A violent and disturbing prophecy is about to be fulfilled."

"They're ALL violent and disturbing," said Bill, rolling his eyes.

"The Order Of Aurelius," concluded Buffy.

Giles nodded. "You were spot on about the connection," he said walking over towards a table. "I've looked at the writings of Aurelius himself, and he, he prophesied that the bretheren of his order would come to the Master and bring him the Annointed One."

Bil lfrowned. "And who's THAT?" he asked.

Giles looked stumped. Well, I-I don't know, exactly. A-a-a-a-a warrior, but-but it says he will arise from the ashes of the Seven, on the evening of thousandth day after the Advent of Septus."

"Well," said Buffy ,exchanging a confident nod with Bill. "We'llbe ready. Whenever that is."

"Which is tonight," concluded Giles.

Buffy nodded. "Ok, tonight," she said, then her eyes went wide as she realized what they were saying. "NO! Not okay! It CAN'T be tonight!"

Giles looked a little affronted. "I assure you, my calculations are precise."

Buffy contineud to argue. "Nuh! They're bad calculations Bad!"

"Buffy has plans," said Willow.

"With Darla!" said Buffy imploringly.

Giles rolled his eyes. "Ok," he said. "I'll just jump in my time machine and go back to the twelfth century and ask the nice vampires to postpone their prophecy for a few days while you take in dinner and a show."

Buffy gave Bill a death glare as Bill laughed at Giles. "Ok,." she grumped. "At THIS point you're abusing sarcasm!"

Giles took a breath. "Buffy," he said. "this is no ordinairy vampire. We HAVE to stop him before he reaches The Master."

Buffy contineud to protest. "But, first date! First date EVER with a girl!"

"Which will just have to be put on hold!" said Giles. "The dark forces are aligning against us and we have a chance to beat them back!"

"Plus, with both of us there," said Bill. "We'll probably be able to take him out in plenty of time for you to make your date."

Giles nodded. "Tonight, we go into battle!"

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Later that night, Buffy, Bill and Giles all three sat in a graveyard. Buffy was sitting on a large tombstone, drinking from a 7-11 cup. Bill leaned against another one, cleaning his fingernails with a large knife as Giles paced.

"Perhaps I miscalculated," Giles reluctantly conceded.

"I'm thinking yes,"said Buffy, draining her drink, looking irritated.

"Well," said Giles. "You know what they say. Ninety percent of the vampire slaying game is waiting."

Bill rolled his eyes. "WHO says that?" he asked. " Who are these damned "they" everybody keeps quoting?"

Buffy sighed. "You couldn't have told me that ninety percent ago?" she asked.

Giles sighed. "Well," he said, eager to be rid of the two bored and grumpy teenagers. "We've waited around here long enough."

"Besides," said Bill. "No fresh graves. Who's gonna rise?"

"Apparently, no one," answered Giles.

Buffy hopped off the tombstone excitedly. " Then I can bail? Go to the Bronze and find Darla?"

"Fine," said Giles. "Follow your teenage hormones if you wish. But remember..." he broke off as Bill pointed out Buffy was already gone.

Buffy made a bee line straight to The Bronze, but Darla was nowhere in sight, so she decided to do a quick patrol before heading home, hoping to find a vampire or demon to take out her frustrations on. She didn't find any, but, she ran into Darla when she got to her house. "Hey," she said, shyly."

"Lose your watch?" asked Darla, a bit sarcastically. "I waited for awhile, then got worried about you!"

"I'm sorry,"said Buffy, looking at the ground. "Giles thought there was something going down tonight, and I thought Bill and I could handle it in time for our date. Turns out, nothing was going on."

Darla sighed. "Buffy," she said. "Why didn't you call me? I'm not some kid at your school who doesn't understand what's going on! I could have helped."

"I'm sorry," said Buffy. "I really am. It's just, I'm the Slayer, Bill is half demon. We have powers. I just...I don't want you getting hurt."

Darla sighed again. "That's sweet," she said. " but I did petty well in the sewers, then helping you stop the Harvest. I think I've proven I can handle myself."

"I know," said Buffy, looking for all the world like a scolded child. "Have I screwed things up too much for a rain check?"

Darla smiled. "No," she said. "I'm not giving up on us over this. How about I take you out to dinner tomorrow night. Maybe a movie after?"

Buffy beamed. "That woudl be great!" she answered.

"Good," said Darla. Then she put a forefinger under Buffy's chin, making sure Buffy was looking her in the eyes. "But understand this, Slayer. No more secrets like that one. If you have to bail on a date because of your duty jsut tell me. I'll understand."

"I promise,"said Buffy, sincerely.

"Good," said Darla. "Because if thsi happens again, YOU are in a heap of crazy trouble!" Darla leaned in and gave her a kiss, and the two said their goodnights.

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At that moment, a bus pulled through town, the passengers riding in silence. A small boy turned to the passenger next to him. "I went on a plane," the boy announced.

The man grunted. he was a large, scruffy, dangerous looking man. "A pale horse emerged with Death as it's rider," he said. "You wil lbe judged. You wil lbe judged." He stood and started walking up anddown the aisle. He stopped by the boy and his mother. "That day's gonna bring fire. Fire comin down! Judgement! Don't think you're ready. Ready to look upon him. If there's sin in there, there's sin all around. It's liquid!" All of the other passengers watched him nervously, afraid he'd pull out a gun and start shooting everybody or something. Onm that day,there won't be anybody tellin us what to do, or why we're doin it! Yo ucan;t prepare. On that day..."

The bus driver, a stocky black man, got tired of his ramblings and interrupted him. "Look, Buddy," he said, you gotta sit down!"

The man looked at him, his eyes, well, crazy. "Are you willing to stand with the rightous?"

Suddenly, the driver slammed on his brakes as a man stepped out in front of the bus. The bus slammed into him, then went skidding off and ramming into a lamp post, stopping the bus and sending the crazy man flying.

"Is everybody ok?" the bus driver asked the passengers. Everybody seemed ok so he went to check on the victim. "Are you all right?" he asked, kneelign down next to the man. Suddenly, an arm grabbed him by the throat and started choking him. It was the man who'd been run down,but, soemthign was wrong with his face.

Other men and women came towards the wrecked bus. One punched through a window and grabbed the crazy guy and pulled him out the window, and bit him on the neck. People screamed as more of the deformed men entered the bus.

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 _ **Harrietwithtea: Sorry, didn't get to the Buffy/Darla date this chapter. But, I hope you got enough B and D this chapter (Ok, those are very unfortunate initials!) to hold you over until the date.**_

A/N: Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Let me know what you thought!


	14. Chapter 13 First Date Pt 3

A/N: I made a tiny edit to chapter 11, during Buffy's conversation with Bill about her feelings for Darla. I feel it clears up Buffy's confusion about her own sexuality a little.

 **To George Tobor: Guess what name you use when not signed in? Bunny Wigglesworth?**

 **If you don't want me to PM you I'll honor that, but, you should know that responding to reviews does not really cut into writing time. It's usually something i do when my muse is failing me. LOL.**

 **We'll have to disagree about the magic addiction. I agree that it's soemthing Joss came up with last minute for season six. I was jsut saying I could see how soem of Willows behavior could be signs of addiction, especially in the Invisible Buffy episode, to me she showed definite signs of withdrawl. I agree that the memory spell was out of fear rather than addiction, but that doesn't mean she wasn't addicted.**

 **Chapter Thirteen: Never Kill A Girl On The First Date Pt 3**

Buffy sighed as she tried to get ready for her date with Darla. She was more nervous about this date than she'd been in a long time. She stood there in her bathrobe and looked at Tara and Cordelia who were both sitting on her bed. Willow was next to her holding two minidresses. "Ok," said Buffy as Willow held one of them up. "Do I want to appear shy, coy, and naive, or," Willow replaced the minidress with the other. "unrestrained, insatiable and aggressive?"

"Er," said Tara. "I don't know Darla at all, but, maybe, somewhere in between? Really, Buffy, I can tell you what you look good in, but, I have zero expertise at picking out clothes."

Cordelia rolled her eyes and stood up. "Honestly, you three,"she said. She was mostly teasing them, but she WAS a little exasperated. She'd agreed to help, but, she had her own date with Xander to get ready for. She stood up and pushed past Buffy and Willow. Buffy exchanged amused looks with Willow and Tara as Cordelia spent about a minute and a half, then stood facing Buffy with a third minidress. "Put this on," she basically ordered, then went over to Buffy's dresser and pulled a lipstick off of it. "the peach," she said.

"Jawohl mein makeup furher," quipped Buffy as she undid her robe and changed into the dress. Willow sat on the bed next to Tara and the two leaned into each other giggling.

Cordelia rolled her eyes again. "Try to help some people and you get sarcasm," she said,. but smiled at Buffy.

"So, where's Darla taking you?" asked Willow as Buffy dressed.

"I'm not sure," answered Buffy. "she said soemthing about dinner. What do young kids DO on dates these days?"

"I HEAR a lot of them go to these buildings where they show moving pictures on a big screen and the pictures tell a story," said Tara. "I think the cool kids call them movies."

"Movies, interesting!" said Buffy.

"And I saw on tv one time," said Willow, joining the game. "where a group of kids our age went to a gathering with music and food. It was called a party."

"I never knew being a teenager was so full of possibilities," quipped Buffy as she finished dressing and put on the lipstick. All three girls giggled.

Cordy again rolled her eyes at them and stood. "Ok, I think you three have it from here," she said. "I have to go get ready myself." She looked at Buffy. "You have fun tonight, and don't be nervous." She paused. "You look great." She waved at Willow and Tara and left.

"Bye Cordy," they all said.

Willow shook her head. "Who would have ever thought I would be in a room with Cordelia helping a mutual friend get ready for a date?"

"W-well, from what you guys said, the bit with the H-harvest was a big deal for her," said Tara. "In a-another universe you might never have been friends."

Buffy nodded. "Ok," she said. "I think I'm ready for my first date ever with another girl." She looekd at Tara. "Er, is there anything I should DO?"

Tara blushed. "W-well, I-I've nerver really been on a date," she said. "N-not in my t-town. R-really, I think you'd p-probably do a lot of the same thigns you w-would on a date with a boy."

Willow nodded. "We already know Darla likes you," said Willow. "So, just be Buffy."

"I THINK I can do that," said Buffy with a smile as the doorbell rang. "OH, that's Darla!" she said. The three girls excitedly ran down the stairs...

To find Giles at the door.

"That's Giles," she corrected, annoyed.

"We need to talk," he said gravely.

"Buffy's not home," saidBuffy, trying to closethe door.

Giles pushed the door open and walked in, nodding at Willow and Tara. "My calculations may not have been as far off as I'd thought," he said, holding up a newspaper."

Willow read the headline. "Seven die in van accident?"

"Out of the ashes of the seven, shall rise the one," quoted Giles. "That's the prophecy. Seven people have died!"

"In a car accident," said Buffy in a tone that clearly said she thought Giles was reaching.

"I know it doesn't quite follow," Giles persisted. "but it's worth investigating. Look! Among the dead was Andrew Borba, whom the police sought for questioning in a double murder. He could be the Annointed One. Now, the bodies have been taken to the Sunnydale Funeral Home. We can..."

"WHY do you hate me?" asked Buffy, ready to beat her head against the wall.

"I beg your pardon?" asked Giles, thouroughly confused.

Darla chose that moment to show up at the opne door. "Hi,"she said, then she noted Giles presence. "Oh, hey Giles. Is something up?"

Giles looked at Darla, then at Buffy and the way they were dressed. "You have a date?" he asked.

Buffy thought quickly. "Yes," she said. "I know you wanted to train tonight, but I DO have a date. We can put it off just this once." She remembered Darla's threat from the previous evening, but she wanted to head this off now. Giles was clearly reaching. Since when did vampires rise from car crash victims? She took Darla's arm. "Here, come in."

"Wait, you're not getting off that easily," Giles told her.

"Darla!" said Willow. "You haven' t met our friend Tara. Tara this is Darla."

"Nice to meet you," said Darla, looking between Willow, Tara, Buffy and Giles.

"Y-you two," said Tara blushing, obviously seeing what Buffy saw in Darla.

"This is Slayer/Watcher stuff,"said Buffy quickly. "Why don't yo utwo take Darla in the kitchen and get acquainted." Willow nodded and led Tara and Darla into the kitchen.

"Another date?" asked Giles. "Don't yo uever do anything else?"

"This is the FIRST date!" Buffy hissed. "thanks to yoru calculations, the date last night never went off. This is the maiden voyage!" She calmed herself. "Look, we don't even know if this is anything!"

"No, we don't," Giles conceded.

"AndI haven't had a day off in awhile," said Buffy, pressing her attack.

"True,"sighed Giles.

"And a tired Slayer is a carelss Slayer," finished Buffy.

"Buffy,"saidGiles, feeling a headache forming. "maintaining a normal social life as a Slayer...is..is problematic at best..."

"This is the nineties," said Buffy imploringly. "The late nineties at that, and I can do both. Clark Kent has a job! I just want to go on a date!"

Giles relented. "I suppose it WAS a pretty slim lead," he said.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," Buffy gushed happily. "And look, I promise, I won't go far." She indicated her pager. "If the apocalypse comes, beep me!"

Darla, Willow and Tara cameback into the roo, "Is everything cool?" Darla asked.

"All set," said Buffy, smiling radiantly. She finally took a moment to notice how Darla was dressed, a nice black pantsuit. Buffy's breath caught.

"Yes," said Giles. "But, we're going to train extra hard tomorrow!"

"Sure,"said Buffy, taking Darla's arm. "Well, bye. Don't wait up!" she ushered Darla outside.

Willow and Tara walked up to Giles. "Is something up?" Tara asked.

"Oh, uh, probably not, no," answered Giles. "I, us, suppose I'll just go the the funeral home just in case. Just, uh, see if anythign comes up. Good night." he turned and left.

"This is bad," Willow said to Tara.

"Yeah," said Tara. "W-we should go along."

They turned and left, but Giles' car was already gone.

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"You have done well," said The Master to the minions who had attacked the bus the previous evening. They all gave him their rapt attention. "Everything is in place. When this nights work is done, I will have a mighty ally. I'l lbe one step clsoer to freeing myself from this..." he reached out and the air where the invisible barrier was shimmered. "this mystical prison. It's been so long, I've nearly forgotten what it was like on the surface! Well, time enough to remember...when I RULE it!" He turned back to the gathered. "If the Slayer, or her Brachen, or Darla try to stop you, kill them. Lay down your own lives if need be, but do not fail to bring me the Annointed. I know you will not fail me." His hand shot up with inhuman speed and he grabbed something out of the air. "Bug," he explained.

The gathered got the idea. They left to fulfill their mission.

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Bill smiled across the table at Shannon. She looked lovely this evening, having chosen an azure sundress. They even kind of matched as he had chosen a navy suit with a light blue shirt. They were having a good time so far, laughing and talking. Shannon could keep up with him in the teasing and playful sarcasm departments.

"So," she said to him. "since we've been doing the first date get to know you thing, I want to ask you something."

"Do you HAFTA?" asked Bill, making her grin.

"Yep," she said. "Last year, you were well on the track to becoming one of the popular kids. You played football, you were dating Cordelia Chase. Then, out of nowhere you quit the team and you two broke up. You both said she dumped you, but I could tell it wasn't true. Now, you're wearing a leather jacket, and riding a motorcycle. I was wondering what happened."

Bill sighed. He'd had a feeling she'd bring this up. Actually, he and Shannon were a lot alike in that regard. She had never joined the "cool crowd" but, she'd been fairly popular until early this school year. Not getting into trouble or anything, she just started hanging out by herself. He knew he couldn't tell her the truth, but, maybe an edited version. "Last year," he said. "was not a good year. My Dad kinda walked out and my Mom. Well. She kinda had a nervous breakdown. A bad one. She's in the hospital now. They won't even let me see her." He didn't add that it was because every time she saw him, she had a flashback to seeing his Brachen face and freaked. "I wound up moving in with my grandmother, who is wonderful, but her health isn't the best. Sometiems, I have to take care of her. Anyway, after all that, football, popularity, it didn't seem that important. Now, I'm basically just being me."

Shannon reached over and put her hand on top of his. "I'm sorry," she said. "Not about the being you part, I kinda like that part. Thje bit with your folks. That's gotta be rough."

Bill smield. "How about you?" he asked. "You've become a bit of a loner lately.

Shannon seemed to consider her words. "Just...family stuff," she said. "Nothing like yours, my folks are still together, nobody is addicted to anything, except maybe work on my Dad's part, nobody is being abused in any way. Just private family stuff, yunno?"

Bill nodded. He didn't want to pry. "Well, if you ever need to talk, I'm here," he said.

She smiled. "Thanks," she said. "But there's some things you wouldn't understand."

Bill gave her that smile that drove Buffy and Darla crazy. "You'dbe surprised," he said. He looked up as Buffy and Darla walked in and waved at him. Darla looked at him as if to say "Nice going."

Shannon looked behind her as he waved back. "Oh, Buffy and...somebody," she said. She raised an eyebrow as they sat down. It was pretty clear they were on a date, even though niether had touched the other. "Are they...?" she asked.

Bill nodded. "Yeah," he said. "Like us, their first."

"Wow," said Shannon. "I'd never have guessed Buffy was..."

"Well, not to tell her story or anything,"said Bill. "But she's kinda in the figure that out stage. They've known each other for a bit, chemistry wasthere, so, they decided to go out." He started to ask her if she had a problem with that. He was pretty sure that Buffy and Darla would wind up a couple, and on top of his duties to take care of Buffy and help her in her Slaying, he really cared about both girls, and anybody who couldn't accept them wouldn't have a place in his life for long.

"Good for them," said Shannon, unknowingly echoing Cordelia's words. "Everybody deserves to be happy, and if it is a member of the same sex that makes you happy, then I say go for it."

Bill grinned. "I like your attitude."

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"Bill on a date," Darla quipped after the hostess had seated she and Buffy. "I'm stunned. I thought he was too dedicated to his duty for a personal life. Spells not withstanding." The bit about his duty was a slight dig. After the performance at her house, Darla thought Buffy was holding something back, but wasn't sure, so she was checking for reaction. She'd been serious about Buffy being in trouble if she kept her out of the loop again, but, even she wasn't exactly sure what crazy trouble meant.

Buffy, to her credit, seemed to keep her composure. "I sort of encouraged him," she said, smiling. "Shannon came into the library the other day and you should have seen the two of them, talking and flirting. It was really kinda cute."

Darla smiled too. "He probably needs that,"she said. She looked into Buffy's expressive green eyes. "Have I mentioned you look great tonight?" shesaid sincerely.

Buffy blushed a little. "Thanks," she said. "So do you. So, you mentioned girls not being new to you one time. I take it that means I'm the only one on her first ever date with another girl?"

Darla shook her head. "I've had...experiences," she said. "But I've never actually been on a date with another girl." She didn't add that she had never in her long existance been on an actual date. Plenty of sex, between having been a prostitute then a vampire, but, no dates. In fact, Angelus had been her only real relationship. Suddenly she felt hypocritical. She'd gotten on Buffy for keeping thigns from her the night before, and she herself had been keeping something huge from Buffy. But, she rationalized, she was here to help Buffy, and if Buffy found out she was a vampire, well, not only would any chance or romance be out the window, so would Buffy letting Darla help her.

And Darla wanted to help her. At first it was just a way to kill time until she took out Angelus, Spike and Dru, but it was more now. She was almost desperate to help Buffy. Though she didn't know about Buffy's revelation to Bill, Darla had also come to love Buffy, even if she was not yet in love.

"Penny for your thoughts," said Buffy, quietly, entranced by Darla beautiful blue eyes.

"Just thinking about you," answered Darla honestly. "Thinking about me. Thinking about us. Not that there's an us yet. A potential us..." She gave a nervous laugh, then kicked herself for it. What was wrong with her? She'd NEVER laughed nervously in her life or in her unlife!"Congratulations. YOU just got to see MY babbly place."

Buffy giggled softly and placed her hand over Darla's, not really caring in the moment if anybody noticed or judged.. "You're cute when you babble," she said.

Darla smirked. "A match made in Heaven?" she teased.

"Or at least The Hellmouth," quipped Buffy with a straight face.

Darla rolled her eyes. "You're a brat," she said.

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Giles pulled his old but servicable Citroen up in front of the Sunnydale Funeral home. All seemed quiet as he turned the car off and got out. He noted it WAS a rather...creepy to quote Cordelia, night as he got his bag out of the back seat and slung it over his shoulder. As he walked to the building, he sensed something. He looked to hsi right, then to his left and saw nothing. He turned his eyes back to the front and gasped as he saw one of the Brethren right in front of him. He took a step back but there was another behind him.

"Well, damn," he said. As the two bretheren reached for him, he whipped out a cross, making them cower away in pain. He made a dash for the building and went inside. He looked around for a place to hide and spied the door to the flower room. Unfortunately, it was locked. He heard the two bretheren open the front door. He looekd arund desperately and foudn the door to the morgue unlocked. He went inside, slammed the door and pushed a filing cabinet in front of it. He crossed to the window to find it barred. Suddenly, two faces appeared i nthe window. "Yagh!" yelped Giels as he jumped backwards only to see...

Willow and Tara.

"Giles, it's just us!" said Willow.

"What are you two doing here?" asked Giles, slightly perturbed that he now had to worry about the girls as well.

"We saw two guys chase you in here," said Tara. "A-are they..."

Giles looked back at the door. "They are," he answered grimly. "Listen, you two need to get to safety."

"Can you get through the window?" asked Willow.

Giles tried the bars. "No, I think Buffy might have trouble with them.." He snapped his fingers. "Buffy! She had one of those beeper things!" He looekd around. "Dammit! No phone!"

"I know a locater spell," said Tara. "W-we'll find her."

"Hang in there,"said Willow, clearly worried about Giles.

Giels nodded as the two girls left.

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Buffy smiled as she and Darla ate in silence for the moment. They'd been talking a lot and had now drifted into a comfortable quiet. She was amazed. Normally, when she was on a first date and things went quiet, she felt awkward. But this was not awkward in the slightest. She felt totally comfortable.

"Are you having fun?" asked Darla.

"I really am," said Buffy, happily. "I almost feel like a girl."

Both chuckeld and smiled at each other. "Good," Darla flirted. "That's jsut how I like you." Buffy looked down and blushed.

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"Wow, you play guitar?" said Shannon to Bill.

"Yeah," said Bill. "My grandmother started teaching me when I was ten. I was invited to join the band Devon Macleish and Oz, er, Daniel Osbourne are in, Dingos Ate My Baby, but I was busy with football, then all that other stuff went down." He was havine a great time. Every once in awhile he'd look over and it looked like Buffy and Darla were too.

"That's really cool," said Shannon. "I...play the drums."

Bill grinned. " Very cool," he said sincerely. "But why did yo uhesitate?"

"Because it's not a terribly girly instrument," she said. "At least that's what my Dad always said.."

Billl gave her a thoughtful look. "Do you enjoy playing them?" he asked.

"I love it," she answered. "It makes me feel...free, I even carry my "lucky drum sticks" in my purse."

"And are you a girl?" asked Bill with a smirk.

Shannon rolled her eyes. "You tell me, Mr. Smart Ass," she said

"Then," said Bill. "They are a girly instrument. At least for you. Shannon, yo ucan't worry about stuff like that. You have to do what makes you happy."

Shannon smiled. "Or what i have to do," she said mysteriously.

"Yeah," said Bill, thinking of his duties to help Buffy. "Or what you have to do."

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"A can of hairspray and a lighter," laughed Darla. "For the slayer who is always prepared!" Buffy had just been regaling her with the story of her fight with the vampire lord Lothos.

Buffy laughed with her. "Yeah, I told him my secret weapon was my keen fashion sense. He was a tough one.

Darla nodded. She'd heard of Lothos and was impressed Buffy had taken him out. Especially since she was so new to being a Slayer at that time.

Suddenly, Willow and Tara came up to their table looking frazzled. Xander and Cordelia were following them. Willow and Tara had run into Xander and Cordy outside, this being one of the nicest, yet stil laffordable, resturants in Sunnydale.

"Buffy," said Willow.

"Wow,"said Darla, a but mystified. "You guys show up everywhere."

"What's goin on?" askedBuffy, suddenly worried.

"It's Giles,"said Willow quietly. "He went to the funeral home himself, and he's trapped in the morgue. At least two vampires are in the building."

"W-we think they're after that Annointed One," added Tara.

"The Annointed One?" hissed Darla. "THAT'S what this is all about! Good God Buffy, this is big, you should have told me!"

"Well, I didn't know..." protested Buffy.

"Oh, you are in SO much trouble," said Darla said,,glaring.

"Look, scold your girlfriend later," said Xander. "Giles is in trouble."

"We'll need Bills help," said Darla giving Buffy a "this is not over" look. She left some money o nthe table to pay their bill and the six went over to Bill and Shannon's table. Shannon looked up confused.

"Hey guys," said Bill, equally confused, but, figuring something was up. "What's going on?"

"Well, we figured we're all on dates, so maybe we could make this a group thing," said Xander, improvising.

Shannon looked at Willow and Tara. "You two too?" she asked.

Willow threw an arm around Tara's shoulder. "Well, you know, sometimes you can't fight it," she said.

"We should all go somewhere!" said Tara, a little too brightly.

Darla was inwardly shaking her head, wondering how they were going to get rid of Shannon after that when Xander piped up. "Hey, you know what wouldbe cool? The Sunnydale Funeral home."

"Ooh,": said Cordela brightly. "I've always wanted to go there."

Shannon looked intrigued. "Do you think we could all sneak in?" she asked.

"Willow and Tara saw a couple of guys go in earlier," said Buffy looking pointedly at Bill. "Crappy dressers, and a little pale, but, they seemed to be having fun."

Bill got the message. "Shannon, I'm sorry but i need to go," he said.

"I thought we were going to the funeral home," said Shannon, confused. "Besides, you're my ride home."

Bill sighed. he exchanged a look with Buffy and Darla. Really, there was no way out of bringing her. "Ok, let's go," he said. The eight of them left the resturant after Bill, unknowingly mimicing Dala, tossed some money onto the table.

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The small entourage pulled up in front of the Sunnydale Funeral Home, Bill, Shannon Buffy and Darla in Bill's grandmothers car, the rest in Cordelia's.

"Ok," said Bill. "A couple of us should go inside first to make sure there are no guards. Buffy, Darla and I'll go. You guys wait here."

The others nodded as the three went up to the building and went inside. The building was dark, and seemed deserted. They made their way to the back and found the morgue door open. They went inside to find the place a shambles.

"Giles?" called Buffy. They saw his bag on the autopsy gurney.

"Look," said Darla, pointing to the bars on the window which hadbeen torn apart.

"And this," said Bill, reachign down and picking up Giles' cross, careful not to get it too close to Darla.

"Giles," said Buffy softly then she jumped back as one of the body storage drawers opened of it's own accord.

Giles sat up. "Oh, good, it IS you three!" he said.

"What happened?" asked Darla.

"Two of the Brethren came in here. They came after me, but, I was more than a match for them."

Buffy looked at him skeptically. "Meaning..." she asked.

Bil lsmirked. "He hid."

"Well, er, yes," confirmed Giles. He indicated the cadaver occupying the drawer. "This good fellow was kind enough to bunk with me until they went away."

"Were they here after you or was it this prophecy thing?" askedBuffy, looking away from Darla.

"Er, well, that's what we have to find out,"said Giles. "I don't know what these brethren meant to do exactly. Find the Annointed One, or or or or give him something. It's al lvery vague. And the Annointed One may be long gone."

"Or he may not be," finished Buffy.

"We have to find out," said Darla. "I've heard of this Annointed One and it is a very big deal."

"Right," said Bill. "We just have to get Shannon and the others out of harms way"

Giles looked at him incredulously. "You brought a DATE?" he asked.

"Giles," said Bill exasperatedly. "What was I gonna do? Abandon her at the resturant? I 'm her ride home."

"See," said Giles to both Buffy and Bill. "This is what happens when yo utry to mix slaying and a social life!"

"Look," said Bill. "We don't have time for this. The rest of the gang are here, I'll have Cordy drive them all home." He started towards the entrance and met Shannon and the others halfway.

"Guess who got tired of waiting?" Quipped Xander.

Bill rolled his eyes. "Ok, time for you guys to leave," he said.

"We're not done looking around," said Shannon stubbornly.

"Ok," said Bill, taking her hand. "Let's find a nice, safe, fun room to look around in." He led the others down the hallway to the office door.

"We tried that," said Cordelia. "it's locked."

Bill took hold of the doorknob and twisted, breaking the lock. "No, it's not," he said, leading the others inside.

"We probably won't find much in here," said Shannon as Bill looked around.

"That's the plan," said Bill under his breath. he decided it was safe. "Ok, I need to go find the others. You guys stay here. If you hear anything, a guard or something, just be really quiet." he looked to Willow, Xander and the others. "And barricade the door." He left as Xander clsoed the door behind him and made his way back to the morgue, where Giles, Buffy and Darla were searching the body storage drawers.

"Ew," said Buffy as she closed one back up. "Parts!"

"Keep looking," said Darla, seeming more agitated than Giles. He must be here somewhere."

Giles opened the last drawer. "Nothing," he said.

"Then he must be gone," said Bill.

"I guess," said Buffy. "Unless they keep the dead bodies soemplace else as well."

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"What are you guys doing?" asked Shannon as the others started barricading the door with furniture.

"Just to be safe," said Tara.

Shannon shrugged and noticed a large curtain. She pulled it aside to find a large window with another oom on the other side. On a table was a body covered with a sheet. "Wow," she said in fascination. The others turned to see what she had.

"I-I've never really seen a dead body before," said Tara. Suddenly, the hand moved. "Th-that's not normal, is it?"

They all moved closer as the hand took hold of the sheet and pulled it aside, revealing a large man. He stood up and looked down at himself, flexing his hands, then looked through the window at Shannon and the others.

"I have been judged," said Andrew Borba exultantly, in full vamp face.

"Oh my God," said Shannon as they all backed up.

Borba approached the window and smashed it with his forehead. "He is risen in me," he said laughing. "He fills my head with song!"

"I think we need to get out of here," said Cordelia as they all started frantically unbarricading the door.

"Pork and beans! Pork and beans," said Borba as he stepped through the opening. "I can smell you!" He went after them as they got the furniture moved and went outside. "You're the chaff, unblessed. I'll suck the blood from your hearts! He says I may!"

The others ran down the hall, running into Buffy and the others. "He's in there!" said Xander, pointing.

Buffy looked at Bill and Darla. "Get them out of here," she demanded and took off. She started looking around for Borba. She could hear him singing.

"Shall we gather at the river?" he sang, off key. "The beautiful, the beautiful river?"

Buffy rolled her eyes and decided to head him off another way.

Bill, meanwhile had ushered the others towards the exit, but, they found their way blocked by what they assumed where the bretheren, five of them, both men and women. The five advanced on them. Bill looked to where Darla was standing, but she was gone.

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Buffy charged into the morgue, where Giles still was. "what have you got?" she demanded.

"What?" asked Giles.

"What'd you bring?" asked Buffy quickly. "Do you have a stake?"

"Oh, y-yes," said Giles pulling one out of his bag and handing it to her. "W-what should I do?"

Buffy turned to face him, her back to the door. "Get out and make sure the others get out ok," she said. She never saw Borba come up behind her. He grabbed her from behind and threw her into a filing cabinet, knocking her out.

"Buffy!" yelled Giles, running to her aid.

Borba approached them. "They told me about you," he said. "They told me while I was sleeping." Giels held out a cross to him. Borba recoiled in pain. "Why does he hurt me?" he asked no one and everyone. He slapped Giels hand, knokcing the cross out of his hand, then grabbed Giles and threw him into the crematorium controls, causing the fire in the chamber to light up. Giels slumped to the floor unconcious just as Buffy was waking up. Borba reached down and grabbed her, lifting her up over his head.

"Buffy!" cried Darla as she entered the room. She grabbed a metal tray and smashed Borba over the back of the head with it, making his knees buckle as he dropped Buffy, who slumped to the ground, concious but out of it. Darla launched a kick into Borba's mid section, making him grunt. She punched him in the face using her ful lvampire strength knocing him back a bit, then grabbed up an urn and smashed it into his head, temporarily stunning him. She heard Buffy groan and went to help her up. "You ok, Slayer?" she asked.

Borba got up and grabbed Darla by her hair. "Bang," he said as he smashed her head into a metal drawer knocking her out. "You dead."

"NO! screamed Buffy.

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"Go! Go!" yelled Bill ushering the others down a hallway. Xander and Cordelia pushed the other three in front of them. Bill turned to face the five vampires. He plowed into them, knocking two to the ground. He grabbed a stocky black man by the front of his shirt and punched him in the face, at the same time, kicking a female vampire. There was a lot going on, and even though they didn't seem like the most powerful vampires, there were five of them to one of him. He saw a wooden easle and kicked it, breaking it into three pieces. He grabbed one up and punched one of the vampires in the face, stunning him, then slamming the makeshift stake into his chest, dusting him. He turned to face the other four, and saw Shannon locked up with the woman he'd kicked a minute ago. "Shannon! What are you DOING?" he demanded. He was about to help her when the black guy grabbed him around his waist. Another vampire grabbed Shannon from behind, picked her up and threw her through a table, shatterign the table and making her hit the ground, unconcious.

"NO!" screamed Bill, putting on his Brachen face. He slammed his head back into the black vamps face hearing the satisfying crunch of his nose shattering. The vamp let go and Bill turned and staked him. He looekd at the other two and jumped them. The woman cracked her head on the same table Shannon had just gone through, and Bill staked her. He and the other vampire rose. "You killed my date!" he growled and jumped the vamp. He lost it and started wailing on the vamp, throwing punch after punch into his face, roaring at the top of his lungs the whole time. Suddenly, the vampire turned to dust. Bill saw Xander standingbehind him with another piece of the easle. he dropepd his and ran over to Shannon.

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"You killed my date!" Buffy screamed at Borba, unknowingly echoing Bill's words. She launched a front snap kick into his gut, catching him solidly and sending him rolling over the gurney and onto the floor. He got to hsi feet, and she rammed the gurney into his gut, then, pushed down on her end, making it slam him in the face. He staggered back as she lept over the gurney and kicked him again. He roared and took a wild swing at her, which she blocked. He swung with his opther arm and connected, knocking her to the ground. She lkept back up, more than ready to fight.

Willow and Tara, who had broken off from the others to look for Buffy, entered the room. Tara knelt by Darla as Willow ran to Giles. Tara heard Darla groan as she started to wake up.

Buffy blocked a punch from Borba, then gave him an open handed punch to the face, then another to his gut after blocking another punch. As he doubled over, she kneed him in the gut knocking him back into a counter. "You KILLED my date!" she repeated.

"YOUR turn," said Borba as he turned back to Buffy. Unseen by either of them, Darla had gotten to her feet. Borba lunged at Buffy who sidestepped and used his momentum to launch him into the air. He landed on the gurney which went rolling over towards the crematory. The gurney stopped when it hit the edge, but Borba kept going, sliding right through the open door. Darla kicked the gurney out of the way and slammed the door shut. Buffy stepped up next to her as they heard Borba scream, then watched him burn through the small window on the chamber.

Buffy threw her arms around Darla. "I thought he'd killed you," she whimpered.

Darla hugged her and patted her back. "I'm ok, Slayer," she assured. "I'm ok."

Bill took Shannon in his arms and felt her stir. "God," she said. "You got an aispirin. Or sixty?" Bill helped her to her feet. "Take it easy," he said, going back to his human face. "You took quite a knock."

Shannon shook her head and looekd around "What happened to those people?" she asked.

"Oh, they took off," said Bill. "Not sure why." he held her steady. "I'm really sorry. This is not how I imagined our first date."

"No," agreed Shannon. "I thought we might end up at Ben and Jerry's. As it is, I think I'll jsut head home." She looked around. "Which way is that?"

"I'll take you," said Bill, but she pulled away.

"No, I'll just go it alone," she said, still out of it.

Xander and Cordelia came over as the other rejoined them. "We'll get her home," offered Cordelia. They led Shannon away, Willow and Tara going with them as Bill watched. He looked over at Buffy and Darla with their arms around each other.

"Bill," said Giles coming over to him.

"Don't, Giles," he said turning away. "Just...don't."

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Since Darla had been knocked out, Buffy walked her home for a change. the two held hands, walking in silence until they reached Darla's apartment.

"So," said Buffy, broaching the subject she had been dreading since Willow and the others had come into the resturant. "what exactly does a "heap of crazy trouble" entail?" She looked at Darla, a bit shyly.

Darla chuckled. The Slayer was adorable. "Let's just say if you were officially my girlfriend, you'd be sleeping on your tummy tonight," she said. Buffy gulped a little. "Look, Buffy, this was a big deal. It's not like you blew off patrol for our date. This was the damned Annointed One. And Shannon almost got killed tonight. I know Giles and I did too, but, we know the score. For us, it's part of the job. You can NOT keep big stuff like this from me.

"On the other hand, I haven't told you everything about me either. I promised I would, and I will, soon. But not tonight, So, I can let it go this time. But rest assured, if this happens again, I have every intention of finding out how much help Slayer healing is for a well spanked backside."

Buffy blushed again but looked her in the eyes. "And I'd deserve it," she said. "Just remember, some threats go both ways!" She giggled as Darla's jaw dropped. "Still, all in all, would you call it a siccessful first date?"

Darla smiled. "Yeah, I wouldm: she said. "And I'm looking forward to the second date."

"Me too," said Buffy. "But I better get home. She put a hand on either side of Darla's face, leaned in, and kissed her on the lips, smiling inwardly as Darla groaned and kissed back. "Good night Darla," she said as they broke apart and she turned to leave.

"Night Slayer," said Darla smiling as she watched Buffy walk away.

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The next morning, at school, Bill stood and looked over the balcony into the yard. He saw Xander and Cordy with Willow and Tara and Oz and Amy, all talking. He smiled softly to himself. He knew he had to dedicate himself to his mission, so he was glad he got to live vicariously through his friends.

"Penny for your thoughts," he heard from behind him. He turned to see Shannon there, smiling.

"Shannon," he said, walking over. "How are you?"

"I woke up with a headache but I'm fine now," she said.

"Good," he said. "Hell of an evening, huh?"

"It really was," said Shannon smiling. Bill thought she looked great in her stylish jeans, red top and denim jacket. " jsut hope next time, we can both avoid any unconciousness."

Bill's heart lept. "You want there to be a next time?" he asked.

"Oh definitely," said Shannon. I had a great time with you."

Bill smiled. "I did too," he said. "But, I need you to promise me something. If we ever run into a situation like that again, you stay out of it."

Shannon looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Bill, there's no way I can promise you that," she said. "If we're together and you're in trouble, I'm GOING to help you. That's just how it is." She paused a moment. "And, frankly, it WAS pretty exciting."

"It was, huh?" said Bill. he saw a certain glint in her eyes.

"So, when can we go out again?" Shannon asked. "I'm not saying we go LOOKING for trouble, but, it's ok for a girl to hope, right?"

Bill sighed. He'd been afraid last night would push her away, but it seemes to have had the opposite effect. "No," he said. "It's not ok. Shannon, there's a lot of bad, dangerous stuff in tis world, and it's not ok to go looking for it when you don't understand all of it." He ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry, this jsut isn't gonna work."

Shannon gave him a hurt look, then her look tunred angry. "Fine," she said. "But you don't know everything, Bill Doyle!" She turned and stalked off.

Bill sighed as he watched her go. He didn't turn as Buffy and Giels walked up to him.

"I was ten years old," said Giles quietly. "When my father told me it was my destiny to be a Watcher. He was one, and his mother before him. I was to be next."

"Were you thrilled beyond all measure?" asked Buffy.

"Oh, no," answered Giles. I had definate plans for my future. I was going to be a fighter pilot."H epaused. "Or possibly a grocer." Bill chuckled at that. "Well, uh, my father gave me a very tiresome speech about responsibilities and, er, sacrifice."

"You had to get it from somewhere," quipped Buffy.

Bill watched Shannon. "Sacrifice, huh?"

Giles looked in her direction. "She seems like a nice girl," he said.

"She's great," said Bill. "But she wants to be Danger Girl. Buffy's the Slayer. I'm half demon. The rest of you know the score. You know how to be careful. Two days in our world and Shannon would get herself killed."

"Or we would," said Buffy softly. "Or somebody else." She looked at Giles.

Giles cut her off. "I went to that funeral home of my own volition."

"But I should have been there," said Buffy. "I blew it."

Giles sighed. "I have volumes of lore, of prophecy's, of predictions. But I don't have an instruction manual. Not does Bill. We are all three feeling our way as we go along. And, I must say, as a Slayer you're doing pretty well." He turned to Bill. "I think you're both doing pretty well.

Buffy and Bill exchanged a smile. "Well," said Buffy. "At least we DID stop that prophecy from coming true."

"Handily!" added Bill.

"You did," said Giles, proudly. No more Annointed One. And I would imagien the Master, wherever he is, is having a fairly bad day himself."

The three looked at each other and laughed quietly. They'd done it.

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The Master smielkd out at the Brethren and quoted his scripture. "And in this tiem will come The Annointed. And the Slayer will not know him. She will not stop him, and he will lead her into Hell." he knelt down by a small boy. The same small boy Borba had been talking to on the bus. A boy named Collin. But, Collin was not as he had once been. "Welcome, my friend," said the Master to his Annointed One.

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A/N: Sorry for the delay in posting. I've been busy lately and then had five teeth pulled. Hope thsi chapter was worth the wait. Please, let me know what you thought of it.


	15. Chapter 14 The Pack Part 1

A/N: And again, more delays in posting. Had a few problems deciding how I wanted to go about certain things in this episode, but I THINK they are ironed out. Special thanks to Starway Man. I had some issues with Bill and Darla in this episode and he gave me an idea for that.

A/N2: And a special thanks goes, again, to Starway Man and to Harriet With Tea, both of whom have not only loyally followed and reviewed this story, but, they have also been invaluable sounding boards for this story. Thanks guys.

 **Chapter Fourteen The Pack Pt 1**

Bob had never been more happy to complete a delivery in his life. He shuddered as he pulled into the Sunnydale Zoo after dark, his cargo snapping and snarling and laughing. Oh, that spooky crazy sounding laugh. He'd been told hyena's could be dangerous, but, there had been a big bonus to this delivery for that reason, so he had jumped on it. Now, he wasn't so sure that had been a good idea.

He spoke briefly to a security guard, then was given directions to the hyena house. He froze as he started the truck back up. The hyena's were being as loud as ever, but now instead of random snarls and growls and that damned laughter, he thought he heard a word. A very specific word.

 _"Boooooooooooooob!"_

He shook his head. There was no way they had formed a word.

 _"Boooooooooooooob!"_

It wasn't possible. Something about the paperwork said they hyena's were a rare breed, but, there was NO way they could talk.

 _"Boooooooooooooob!"_

Besides, how could they know his name? Had anybody even said his name on this trip? Well, he'd introduced himself to the guard, and to the people who had loaded the hyena's onto his truck, but didn't even birds like parrots have to hear something, like, a bunch of times before being able to repeat it?

 _"Boooooooooooooob!"_

Bob was officially about to freak out when he was a man waving him down. He pulled the truck to a stop, shut off the engine and got out. There were several men there, some workmen and a creepy looking guy who was wearing, of all things, a safari jacket and had. Bob figured this MUST be the zookeeper in charge of the hyena's.

"Dr. ...Weirick?" he asked consulting his clipboard.

"That's me," said Dr. Weirick. He looked over as the workmen started unloading the hyena's. One workman jumped back as the largest of the hyena's lunged at the cage. Weirick noticed Bob jump too. "He's the alpha. Just protecting his pack. Did everything go smoothly?"

"Aside from being the creepiest delivery of my life, yeah," answered Bob handing Weirick the clipboard. Weirick chuckled and signed. He handed the clipboard back to Bob, then walked over and smiled.

"Beautiful," he whispered.

Bob completed his delivery and left, swearing, he'd never ever again make a delivery to the Sunnydale Zoo.

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Bill Doyle looked over as Buffy Summers sighed, sounding bored. He couldn't blame her. They hadn't run into more than two vampires in the week or so since they'd stopped the rising of the Annointed One. The three had fallen into a patrol pattern where some nights Bill and Buffy would split up, Darla alternating which of them she went with, as Buffy still wouldn't let her patrol alone, seeing as as far as she knew, Darla was human, and all three patrolling as a group. Sometimes, other members of what Xander had dubbed "The Scooby Gang would come along, but, tonight, it was just the three of them so they'd decided to stick together.

"Are we boring you, Slayer?" came Darla's slightly purring voice. Buffy looked at her and blushed.

"No, the complete lack of vampire action is what's boring me," said Buffy, a touch irritably. "We could be at the Bronze instead of wasting our time otu here!"

"Well," said Darla,"between the Harvest and the bit with the Annointed One, we must have taken out a number of the Master's minions. So, it makes sense that it's quiet."

"I know," Buffy pouted."I'd just liek to accomplish something if we're going to spend time out on patrol."

Bill nodded. He stopped and looked around again. "Yunno," he said. "It's SO quiet, why don't you two go ahead and hit the Bronze? I'll do a quick sweep through Wetherly Park then head home."

Buffy and Darla looked at each other, both grinning. "WEll, if you insist, said Buffy. "I DO have my dancing shoes on. Think you can keep up with me, Darla?"

"Keep it up, Slayer,"said Darla, aiming a swat at Buffy's backside, which the blonde Slayer easily dodged. "I predict I'll be carrying you home after wearing you out on the dance floor." Buffy scoffed.

Bill chuckled softly. God, they were cute together. "Ok, I'd say stay out of trouble, but it's probably pointless," he said. "Good night, my Dears," he said. "I'll see you tomorrow for our funfilled field trip to the zoo, Buffy."

"Night Bill," said Both girls. They waved then joined hands and started to turn, but, Bill immediately clutched his head and fell to the ground. A vision!

 _It was, as usual, a seemingly disjointed series of images. A homeless shelter, apparently in LA. And old man stumbling through the streets, with a tattoo on his arm, a half heart that said "Lily". A young blonde girl, obviously a runaway, walking into the shelter with her own tattoo, her's saying "Rickie". And, a group of people of varying ages doing slave labor, overseen by some, hideous looking demons. The vision faded, and so did the pain._

Buffy and Darla were immediately on their knees next to him, helping him up. "Are you ok?" asked Darla as Buffy just looked worried.

"I'm fine," said Bill. "Just the usual split second migraine."

"What did you see?" asked Buffy.

Bill gave them a brief description of what he'd seen. "Change of plans, ladies," he said. "I wouldn't have had this vision if WE weren't supposed to do something about it. We're headed to LA."

"Bill," said Buffy. "I CAN'T. My Mom would NEVER let me miss a couple of days of school." Bill sighed. She was right, of course. His grandmother would have no problem with him missing a couple of days, but, after the trouble in LA, Buffy's Mom was watching her a lot more closely than she'd used to.

"Well," said Darla. "even with as quiet as it's been, it's probably not a bad idea for one of us to stay here."

"You're right," said Bill. "Ok, let me head home and talk to my grandmother, see about borrowing her car, and I'll pick you up at yours?" Darla nodded. Bill looked at the two girls. He decided to let them say their goodbye's privately. "Ok, see you shortly. Buff, see you in a couple of days." He left just as the two girls were stepping towards each other.

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The next morning, on the field trip to the zoo, Buffy and the rest of the gang had all wandered off ins separate directions, Buffy finding herself on her own. She sighed, missing Darla, even though it was less than twelve hours since she'd seen her. Something about knowing Dara and Bill were in LA made it seem like even longer. She looked over and saw Shannon, also by herself.

Buffy sighed again. She understood exactly why Bill had decided to stop seeing Shannon, but, for both of their sake, she wished it could be different. It was kidna funny in a way. Bill kept arguing with Giles that Buffy needed a life outside of Slaying to keep herself grounded, otherwise she was likely to burn herself out, and there Bill was, NOT having a life outside of his own mission. Plus, she'd only seen Bill and Shannon together a little bit, but, they seemed like they would be good together.

"Oh, look," Buffy heard a voice from behind her say her."It's Buffy and all her friends." She turned to see the speaker was Kyle DuFours, along with the rest of his crew, Rhonda Kelly, Tor Hauer, Heidi Barrie and Mick Cooper. They were the local d-bags, often causing trouble with others and picking on weaker kids. Bill had had several run ins with them, and had nicknamed them "The Whack Pack." Xander had laughed loudly at that, and even Oz had given a small smile. Buffy had no idea what Bill meant by that, and didn't think she wanted to.

Buffy shook her head. "That's witty," she said sardonically. "Though, it might be wittier if you used a couple of words with more than one syllable." Kyle snarled at her.

Tor stepped a little closer. "Do you ever wonder why nobody cool ever wants to hang out with you?" he asked.

"Nah," said Buffy, shaking her head. "I'm just grateful."

Rhonda sneered at her. "Were you this popular at your old school?" she asked. "BEFORE you got kicked out?" All five laughed and started away.

"Careful," said Tor, looking back at Buffy. "She might beat you up."

Buffy just watched as the five walked away, rolling her eyes. "Pretty sure there's a rule against the Slayer doing that," she muttered to herself.

A short time later, Buffy was reading a plaque by the area where the elephants were kept, when the rest of the gang came up to her. The main Scoobies, Willow, Xander, Tara and Cordelia where there as well as Oz and Amy. After the effects of Willow and Amy's botched attraction spell, Oz and Amy were sometimes hanging out with the Scoobies but were not quite official members.

"Hey Buffy," said Xander. He and Willow looked excited. Tara looked affectionately amused, Oz and Amy were both smiling, but Cordelia looked a little annoyed with them.

"You missed it," Willow informed her.

"Missed what?" asked Buffy, looking to the others for some clue.

"We jsut saw the zebra's mating," announced Xander as though he had just witnessed the miracle of the ages. Thank you, very exciting..."

"It kinda looked like the Heimlich, with stripes," said Willow.

Buffy feigned disappointment. "And I missed it?" she said. "Darn!"

"I think somehow, you'll find the courage to live on,"said Cordy, sechanging a smile with Buffy and they all started moving on.

"Where were you?" asked Tara.

"I was looking at the fishes," said Buffy, sounding disinterested.

"Was it cool?" asked Amy, hopefully.

Buffy gave her a look. "it was fishes."

"I'm feelin' like you're not into the field trip spirit here," said Oz with his usual small Oz smile.

"Well, it would..." began Buffy. "it's nothing. We just did the same zoo trip at my old school every year. Same old same old. Plus, it's the ZOO. We're not 7."

Xander shook his head. "Buffy, Buffy, Buffy," he said. "This isn't about just looking at a bunch of animals. This is about not being in class!"

Buffy brightened. Xander was making sense. It was a beautiful day, and this was much better than listening to a math lecture. "You're right,' she said. "Suddenly the animals seem shiny and new!"

The seven of them continued on, having a good time, talking and laughing. The only problem was, Buffy still missed Darla. Xander and Cordy were dating, as were Oz and Amy and Willow and Tara obviously had an attraction to each other. At least if Bill was there Buffy wouldn't be the only one without a "date".

As they approached the hyena house, Buffy saw Kyle and his crew with a boy named Lance. Buffy saw them duck under some yellow "Caution" tape that was blocking the entrance. The others saw it too.

"What are Kyle and the others doing with Lance?" asked Tara.

Xander looked at them and shook his head. "Oh, playing with him as a cat plays with a mouse," he said.

"What's up with those guys?" Buffy asked.

"They're obnoxious," answered Cordelia.

"Professionally," added Willow.

"Every school has them," said Oz. "So, you start a new school, you get your desks, some blackboards, and some mean kids."

"Yeah," said Buffy. "Well, I'd better go extract Lance before..."

Xander put his hand on Buffy's shoulder. "I'll handle it," he said. "This doesn't require actual slaying." He ducked under the tape and went inside.

Buffy looked at the others. "You don't think we should follow?" she asked.

"Don't worry," said Cordelia. "I'll keep him out of trouble." she followed Xander under the caution tape.

"I'm sure they'll be fine," said Tara, hopefully.

"Kyle and those others are jerks," said Willow. "But they're all talk."

"Well, mostly," added Amy.

Buffy and Oz exchanged a look. Oz was not really a fighter, but he WAS a guy. "Why don't we...?" asked Buffy.

"Yeah," said oz. "Why don't we?"

They started to follow but a zookeeper came up to them. Buffy noted with amusement that his style of dress reminded her or Marlin Perkins on Wild Kingdom.

"Hold it, hold it," he said holding up his hands. "Are you people blind or just illiterate? Because, hyena's are very quick to prey on the weak."

"Oh,"said Buffy. "W-we were just gonna take a look..."

"You're NOT going in there," interrupted the zookeeper. "Anybody who does is in a world of trouble."

"Ok," said Oz, amiably. "Nobody is going inside."

"W-why is it off limits?" asked Tara.

"It's a quarantine," answered the zookeeper. "Those animals just came in from Africa, so keep out." He gave them a mysterious, and kidna creepy, look. "Even if they call your name."

He had Buffy kind of wigged. "What are you talking about?" she asked.

The zookeeper went into a lecture mode that would make Giles envious. "The Masai tribesmen told me that hyena's were capable of understanding human speech. They follow humans around all day, learning their names. At night, once the campfire dies, they call out to a person. Once the separate him, the pack," he snapped his fingers. "devours them."

Buffy looked at the creepy zookeeper then looked longingly at the hyena house, not noticing that Shannon was watching them from a distance.

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Inside the hyena house, Kyle and the others tore through some more caution tape and looked around.

"Cool," said Kyle as he and the girl approached the enclosure, Lance stayed back, Tor and Mick behind him.

"I don't see any hyena's," said Lance nervously. Suddenly, one of them growled and showed itself between some rocks. "OK! We've seen it!" He turned to leave, but Tor and Mick were blocking him.

"Looks cute," said Rhonda.

"I think he looks hungry," said Kyle, looking towards Lance. Tor and Mick grabbed Lance.

"NO!" protested Lance, struggling.

"C'mon Spot," snarled Tor as the dragged Lance closer to the hyena pit.

"C'mon! Stop it!" said Lance, louder this time.

"Supper time," said Mick gleefully as they dragged him up to the bars.

"Guys!" Lance practically screamed. "This isn't funny!" he was practically panicking now.

Tor pressed him up against the bars and pressed down on his neck. Mick reached down and grabbed his legs, about to lift up as if to toss him in.

Suddenly, Xander was there, pulling their arms off of Lance. Cordelia took Lances arm and pulled him away from the bars.

"God, what is your malfunction?" Cordy asked. "Why can't you neanderthal's pick on somebody your own species?"

"Back off, guys," Xander added.

Kyle stepped right up to him practically nose to nose. "What? Are YOU gonna get in my face?" he asked, obviously unimpressed between the known dweeb and the rich girl princess.

"If we have to," said Xander, both unwilling to back down in front of Cordy, as well as having his dander up Cordy stepped right up next to him. Five against two were not good odds, but, both sides had a lot of adrenaline going.

Suddenly, the hyena's growled and Xander, Cordy, Kyl;e and the others all looked at them. They hyena's eyes flashed green, then Tor's, Micks, and Heidi's did. The hyena's eyes flashed again, and so did Kyle's and Rhonda's.

Lance shook his head and started a hasty retreat, but he tripped over a chair and fell to the floor, his notebook skidding away. Kyle and his crew all turned and started to laugh. A strange, haunting laugh. Lance got up, retrieved his notebook and got out of Dodge.

As he left, Xander and Cordelia turned and watched him. Both of their eyes flashed green and they both smiled predatorially.

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A/N3: Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. More to come hopefully soon. Let me know what you think.


	16. Chapter 15 The Pack Pt 2

**Chapter Fifteen The Pack Pt 2**

 **Los Angeles Mid Afternoon**

It had taken over an hour for Bill to get everything squared away with his grandmother and pic Darla up. She had agreed to lend him her car, and given him some money for his excursion. Luckily, Bill had confided in her after his mother had been institutionalized with claims that Bill and his father were demons, and after he himself had been approached by the Powers. Surprisingly, his grandmother had taken everything in stride, claiming she'd seen too much in her life not to believe him. Also luckily, while Bill's parents had always struggled, his grandmother had money, her parents having been wealthy. She was not exactly wealthy, but, they lived very comfortably, so, she was able to give him the money he needed.

He and Darla had driven the two hours to LA, arriving well after midnight. They'd rented a room at a motel from a greasy looking, leering night manager, who couldn't take his eyes off Darla, then done a quick patrol, not finding anything of note. Then, Bill had collapsed into bed for several hours, then arose to go out and get breakfast. He'd just arrived carrying two bags, one from a local diner, one from a local butcher and handed the butcher's bag to Darla, then plopped down across from her and dug out his cheeseburger and fries.

Darla wrinkled her nose as she took out the container of pigs blood and removed the lid. "I don't know which of us has the more revolting breakfast," she said.

Bill gave her his infuriating grin. He'd overheard she and Buffy talking one time about how they both found that grin both infuriating and endearing, and had started using it even more. "Well," he said. "considering mine is unhealthy, but, something normal people eat, I'm going to go with you."

Darla rolled her eyes and took a sip. Yeah, definitely hers. She looked over as Bill took a large bite out of his cheeseburger. "Something happen while you were out?" she asked.

Bill chewed, swallowed, then took a drink of his soda. "Yeah," he said. "I made contact with at least one of the people from my vision."

Darla raised her eyebrows. "Oh?" she asked. "How did that go?"

"It was...weird," answered Bill.

 _He'd just collected and paid for his order, when he turned around to spy a young couple sitting at a nearby table, giggling and examining their forearms. Both had that scruffy, underfed look a lot of runaway's get, but, looked better than most. As he got closer, Bill noticed the girl, a pretty blonde, looked liek the girl from his vision. He was close enough to overhear their conversation as the waitress walked over._

 _"What can I get you?" she asked. Bill almost snickered. She looked a lot like the character Flo from the old sit com Alice._

 _The boy took a handful of change out of his pocket and spread it out on the table. It clearly added up to a couple of dollars at most. "What can we get with this?" he asked._

 _The waitress was looking doubtfully at the pile of change when the girl spoke up. "Can we get cake?" she asked, looking hopeful._

 _The boy looked at her with a small amount of irritation. "Don't be stupid!" he said. "We gotta eat healthy. We can't have cake." He looked up at the waitress. "How about pie?"_

 _"Pie is good," said the girl, nodding. "Pie has fruit in it."_

 _"We got a peach pie," said the waitress. "of course, no guarantee there's a peach in it."_

 _Bill looked at the two kids. They were clearly about his own age. Even if he weren't almost positive the girl was the one from his vision, he woudl feel compelled to help them._

 _"Hey there," he said walking up. He turned to the waitress he'd come to think of as "Flo" and handed her fifty dollars. "Do me a favor," he said. "Get some real food in these two, not just pie, and give them the change." Flo looked surprised, but nodded. The couple ordered and she left._

 _"Wow, thanks,"said the girl, looking up at him._

 _"We don't need no pity," said the guy, almost looking hostile._

 _"It's not pity," said Bill. "I needed some help awhile back, and somebody helped me. I'm just trying to pay it forward, yunno?" The guy relaxed and nodded._

 _The girl sighed. "We really shouldn't have blown all our money," she said._

 _"Hey, it was worth it,"said the guy. He looked up at Bill. "Check this out" Both held out their arms. Each had half a heart, freshly tattooed. In her half it said "Rickie" and in his half it said "Lily". Together they made a whole._

 _Bill gaped at the tattoo's for a moment. They were exactly like the ones from his vision. He noticed that "Rickie" seemed to want him to say something. "That's...nice," he said. "Nice and permanent."_

 _"Well," said Rickie. "That's the point, aint it? Forever." He looked over at Lily, obviously, truly caring for her. She returned the look._

 _"that's great," said Bill. "Look, I gotta go. You two enjoy your meal." He quickly left, pondering the impossible._

 _That those two WERE indeed the two from his vision._

"I thought you said the guy with the Lily tattoo was an old man," said Darla, puzzeldly.

"He was," said Bill, just as puzzled. "I can't explain it, but, the tattoo's were exactly as they were in my vision. And, the girl, Lily, was the spitting image of the girl. I really think they are the same two people."

"So, somehow some kid your age turns into an old man, almost overnight?" said Darla shaking her head. "HOW is that possible?"

Bill took another bite, chewed and swallowed. "I have no idea," he admitted. "But, I'm thinking, maybe THAT is what we're here to prevent."

Darla nodded thoughtfully. It was as good a theory as any.

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 **Sunnydale, after school.**

Shannon smiled as she walked up to the bookstore she worked several afternoons a week at. The sign above the door never ceased to make her react that way. The name of the store was "The Book Chambers" an actually amusing play on words, as the owner of the store was a man named Ian Chambers. It was a fairly small store which specialized in rare or hard to find books.

Shannon walked inside to find Ian just finishing up with a customer. Ian was a good looking man in his early thirties with blue eyes and what he would call "ginger" hair. Ian's father was American but his mother was British, and he had spent a lot of time in both countries, so he sometimes had a slight English accent, and often used British terms like "ginger" for reddish hair. She walked over to him as the customer left.

"Hello, Shannon," he said. "How was your field trip today?"

"Oh, just swell," said Shannon, sarcastically. "Nothing like a trip to the zoo to make you feel eight years old." Both chuckled. "Though, something weird DID happen. Kyle Dufours and his group of primitives dragged a boy named Lance into the hyena house, and that new girl, Buffy Summers, looked like she wanted to go after them. That was weird. What was a girl her size going to do against those five? Xander Harris and his girlfriend, Cordelia Chase, wound up following them in, and Lance left a minute later, then the others did, and while Lance looked scared, nobody looked like they'd been in a fight or anything."

"Buffy Summers?" asked Ian. "Isn't that one of the girls you ran into on your date last week?" Ian knew exactly what had gone down that evening, and the next morning. Shannon had grown close to him, and told him almost everything.

"Yep," said Shannon. "another weird time surrounding Buffy and her friends." She had a dark look on her face.

"Are you ok?" asked Ian.

"Yeah," sighed Shannon. It's just, Bill wasn't at school today, and when I noticed that, I got pissed at him all over again. I mean, he was a total jerk the morning after our date. And after..." she trailed off as a customer came into the store.

Ian looked sympathetic. "Well, I know what should help take your mind off of things," he said. "You can go in the back and uncrate that new shipment we got this morning."

Shannon looked at him and rolled her eyes. "Joy of joy's," she said sarcastically as she went into the back room and Ian went to help the customer.

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 **That evening, at the Bronze**

"Weren't Xander and Cordy supposed to meet us here?" Buffy asked Willow as they walked from the bar to the table Tara was holding for them. She had a soda and a croissant for herself, and Willow had soda's for herself and Tara.

"That's what I THOUGHT," answered Willow thoughtfully, replaying the events of the day in her head. "Say, did they seem upset or something on the on the bus ride home?"

"About what?" asked Buffy as they sat down.

"I dunno," said Willow. "They were awfully quiet."

"Xander and Cordelia?" asked Tara. "Yeah, they weren't even cuddling or whispering to each other."

Buffy shrugged. "I didn't notice anything," she said.

"You might have been a little distracted," said Willow, winking at Tara.

"Oh yes," said Tara. "Say by missing a certain blond whose leather jacket you just happen to be wearing." Both girls smirked at her.

Buffy gave her friends a glare. "It goes with the shoes," she protested. She looked to Tara. "I think I liked you better when you were all shy."

"Not me," Willow piped up. "I LIKE Tease-Buffy-Tara." She and Tara smiled shyly at each other.

Buffy smiled at them. She actually DID like how Tara was getting a little bolder, at least among her friends. She hardly ever stuttered around them anymore. She and Willow were very cute together, and Buffy thought they were a good influence on each other.

The three girls looked up as Xander and Cordelia joined them. They looked...different. They were each dressed the way they always did, but there was something about them that Buffy couldn't put her finger on.

"Sorry we're late," said Xander, as they sat down. "We got...distracted." He leered at Cordelia who batted his arm, harder than she normally would. Xander eyes Buffy's croissant and tore a piece off, eating it. "Hungry!" he said.

"Xander," said Willow as Xander took a swig of Buffy's soda. "Do you still want me to help you with geometry tomorrow? We can meet after class."

Xander gave a thumbs up as Cordelia also ripped a piece off of Buffy croissant, ignoring Buffy's indignant look, and eating it. She and Xander both looked disgusted. "What IS this?" she asked.

Buffy narrowed her eyes at both of them. "Well, it WAS my buttery croissant," she said.

"Man, BIRDS live on this stuff!" said Xander. "We need some REAL food!"

Buffy Willow and Tara looked back and forth between Xander and Cordelia. "WHAT?" they both asked.

"What is with you two?" asked Buffy.

"We're just..." began Xander.

"Restless," finished Cordelia.

The other three girls exchanged a look as Xander and Cordelia both sniffed Buffy's hair. Buffy was starting to get irritated. "Ok, NOW what?' she asked.

"Vanilla," mumbled Cordelia.

"You took a bath," said Xander.

Buffy furrowed her brow. "Yes," she said. "I often do. I'm actually kinda known for it." Xander and Cordelia both shrugged and scanned the room. "Ladies and gentlemen, Xander Harris and Cordelia Chase," said Buffy. "Co-winners for this years Weird Behavior Award!"

Xander and Cordy ignored her, looking towards the entrance. Buffy, Willow and Tara looked over to see Kyle and the others had walked in.

"Oh, goody," said Buffy, sarcastically. "It's the winged monkey's." The five walked over, like Xander and Cordelia, seeming somehow...different. The five stopped at their table, Kyle and Rhonda staring at Xander and Cordelia, Tor and Heidi just standing back and watching. Mick just stared at Buffy, a little too intently.

Xander and Cordelia stared back at Kyle and Rhonda, just as intently. Just when it looked like it might erupt into a fight, Kyle and Rhonda backed off and moved to another table.

"Y'know, I really don't understand why you're sitting at OUR table," Kyle said to the over weight boy sitting at the table as Mick continued to stare at Buffy and Tor stepped up behind the boy, threateningly.

"Yeah," said Rhonda. "Shouldn't you be floating over a stadium with "Goodyear" written on your side?" All five, plus Xander and Cordelia, laughed as the boy stood and made a hasty retreat.

Buffy Willow and Tara gave Xander and Cordelia an incredulous look. This behavior may not be totally out of character for Cordelia, but, it was completely unlike Xander.

They both shrugged. "Kid's fat," said Xander by way of an explanation.

Buffy sighed. This was going to be a weird evening.

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 **Los Angeles, same evening, a little later.**

Night had fallen and Darla was now able to help Bill search for Lily and Rickie. alas, LA was a big city, and finding two specific runaway teens was worse than looking for a needle in a haystack.

Darla turned as she felt Bill's hand on her arm. He indicated a blond girl up ahead and nodded. "Lily," he called out. The girl turned and walked over to them.

"Hey,' she said. "Thanks again for lunch. We managed to get dinner too."

"Good," said Bill smiling. "By the way, my name is Bill, and this is my friend, Darla."

"Nice to meet you," said Lily, smiling.

"You too," said Darla. "Bill told me about you guys. You and Rickie live around here?" She observed Lily. She could see why they had been sent to help her. This girl pretty much screamed vulnerability.

Lily shrugged. "There's a couple of places," she said. "They're abandoned and a lot of people stay there. Rickie know all those places. He's really smart. He takes care of me." She smiled lovingly. "He even picked my name. It's from a song. I'm always changing my name."

"What do they call you at home?" asked Bill softly.

Lily just sort of shook her head, indicating that home was not a welcome topic.

"Well, I like Lily," said Darla. "Where's Rickie?"

Lily shrugged. "He went to check some things out earlier," she said. "I'm sure we'll meet up again in a bit." Suddenly, and old man plowed right through the three of them, not even looking at them.

"Whoa!" said Bill.

"That's not very polite," Lily scolded him.

The old man turned to look at them, horror filling his eyes.

"Are you ok?" Bill asked.

"I'm no one," whispered the old man, as if afraid to speak. He turned and shuffeld into the street, right into the path of an oncoming pickup. The trucks tires squealed as the driver slammed on his brakes.

Darla, faster than Bill, rushed over and shoved the old man to safety. Unfortunately, she wasn't quite fast enough to dodge the truck and it clipped her, throwing her to the street.

"DARLA!" yelled Bill, he and Lily running forward and kneeling down beside her.

"Are you ok?" asked Lily as Darla started to get to her feet, leaning heavily on Bill.

The driver hopped out of his truck and ran over. "Jesus!" he said. "I didn't even SEE her!"

"You shouldn't move," Lily said to Darla.

"Yeah," said the truck driver, as a small crowd gathered. "Lie down, we'll call an ambulance."

Darla was getting her strength back and she locked eyes with Bill. they were drawing way too much attention. "I'm ok," said Darla quickly. "We have to go!" She took Bill's hand and the two ran off, several people shouting behind them.

They turned a corner and ran smack dab into a man about ten or so years older than Bill. He was good looking in a white bread sort of way. he had been carrying a stack of leaflets, which went flying.

"Whoa, where are you two running to?" he asked.

"Sorry," said Darla, sheepishly, as they all three knelt down to gather the leaflets.

"Maybe I should ask where you are running FROM," said the man. Neither Bill or Darla said anything. He observed them. "You're new around here, but you both have the look."

"The look?" asked Bill, looking suspicious.

"Like when you have to grow up way too fast," he said. " What are your names?"

"I'm Darla," said Darla. "He's Bill." They all stood up and Darla and Bill handed him the fliers they'd gathered.

"I'm Ken," said the man, smiling. He handed Darla a flyer. "Go ahead, keep one of those." Darla looked at the flyer. It said "Family home" on it. "Don't be shy about stopping by. You don't look to be starving, but, we're interested in feeding more than the body. You might find something you're missing."

Darla noticed Bill's eyes narrow. "We're fine," he said, decisively.

"Then why are you here?" asked Ken. He motioned towards a group of kids, hanging out. "This isn't a good place for kids. You get old fast here. It's the despair that does it, it drains the life out of them. Kids come here, they've got nothing to go home to, and this is the last stop for a lot of them." He shook his head. "shouldn't have to be that way."

"Well, we need to go," said Bill, taking Darla's hand and dragging her away. He'd finally figured out what it was about Ken that had been bugging him. Bill's Sight had shown him a spark of something supernatural about Ken. He couldn't tell what it was, demon, witch, something else, but it was THERE.

They were going to have to look into this "Family Home".

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	17. Chapter 16 The Pack Pt 3

A/N: I want to acknowledge a writer by the name of muaaimoi for their story Queen Of The Wild, in which Cordelia instead of Xander is the one hyena possessed. This story is what inspired me to have Cordy possessed along with Xander in Darling One. Thank you muaaimoi.

I also want to acknowledge Starway Man for also having Cordy the one possessed in The Oracle, HarrietWithTea for doing the same thing with her OC Becky in The Book Of Knowledge Chronicles, and APhantasm for doing it with Paige Matthews in Charming The Slayer. All their versions of the pack were great.

A/N2: And a special thank you to Starway Man. In the episode, it was an important factor that, while Buffy and Willow THOUGHT Xander was posessed or something, nobody was sure at first. I had given Bill, as a half Brachen demon, a power called The Sight, which gave him the ability to see if a being had something supernatural about them. (This is from the Eden Studios Angel roleplaying game. I have since been informed that Doyle on the show never had a power like that) I figured that that power would take away some of the mystery so, I wanted to get him, and Darla, figuring the hyena people would pick up she was a vampire, out of the action and it was Starway Man who suggested sending them to LA to deal with Ken's slavery ring. So, thanks Starway Man. You were a big help.

 **Chapter Sixteen The Pack Pt3**

 **Sunnydale**

Mick stood behind a tree across the street form 1630 Revello drive, watching the house intently. He'd been there for hours. Shortly before dark ago a jeep had pulled up and an attractive older woman and a young girl, maybe ten, had gotten out and went into the house. It was now nearly ten o'clock and he finally spotted what he was looking for.

Buffy, looking amazingly hot, walked up the walk and went into the house. Mick licked his lips and climbed the tree, getting level with an upstairs window. He saw Buffy enter the room. Since she wasn't standing right by the window, she didn't bother to pull the curtains, but Mick could see perfectly as she started getting undressed. She got down to her bra and panties and reached behind herself, unhooking her bra. Mick's breathing quickened and he licked his lips again. Just before the bra dropped, Buffy got a funny look on her face and grabbed a night shirt, barely getting it in front of her before Mick could see anything. He cursed silently as Buffy walked over towards the window and looked outside. Luckily, the tree branches and the darkness worked together to block him from her view, but, with a weirded out look on her face, Buffy closed the curtains.

Mick cursed and dropped out of the tree. he looked up at the bedroom window and thought one word.

 _Soon_.

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Buffy smirked as she walked out of the library after her morning training session with Giles. The poor librarian-slash-Watcher was totally winded after Buffy had used him as a sort of practice dummy (He's glared at her BIG TIME when she'd actually said that) and Buffy was sure as she was leaving he'd mentioned something about waiting for the feeling to come back to his arms. She figured Giles would be glad when Bill got back from LA. At least then he could have BILL spar with her.

Buffy sighed as thinking of Bill being away naturally made her mind progress to thinking of Darla being away. It hadn't even been thirty six hours since they'd left, but Buffy was missing Darla like crazy. True, she didn't see Darla every day, but, just knowing she was out of town made Buffy miss her.

Buffy was drawn out of her thoughts of silky blonde hair and soft kissable lips by a shout. "Look out! It's gotten loose!" She turned to see Principal Flutie running down the hallway yelling "Stop the beast!" Buffy looked down to see a tiny pig running frantically down the hall. She more or less effortlessly reached down and scooped him up in her arms. The pig instantly calmed as she cradled him. She reminded him of a living Mr. Gordo, Buffy's favorite stuffed animal.

Mr. Flutie breathlessly walked up to them. "Thank you, miss Summers," he said. He looked to the pig and shook his finger. "Naughty Herbert," he scolded. "Gave Mr. Flutie quite a scare, didn't you?" He turned to the students who had gathered to watch the spectacle. "Everybody, meet Herbert. Our new mascot for the Sunnydale High Razorbacks." The rest of the students all clapped as Buffy cuddled the pig closer to her.

"He's so cute!" she gushed in that semi baby-talk voice a lot of girls use with cute animals.

Flutie looked offended. "He's not CUTE!" he protested. "He's a fierce Razorback! He's mean and ready for action!"He indicated the helmet with the foam tusks. "See, he's got tusks..." he pointed to a piece of serrated green foam tied to Herbert's back."...the scary Razorback!"

Buffy looked down at the pig in her arms. All she saw was a poor cute little pig who looked desperate to get out of this costume. But, she decided to humor the principal. "You're right,' she said. "He's a fine mascot, who will definitely engender school spirit."

"He better," sighed Flutie. "It costs a fortune to feed him." He reached to take Herbert out of Buffy's arms. "Allright, let's get you back into your cage." Herbert was having none of it, though, obviously happy where he was. He squealed loudly and tried to get closer to Buffy. Flutie looked at him then exchanged a glance with Buffy. "This way," he sighed. Buffy smirked again and followed him.

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Willow sighed as she tried to help Xander with his math homework. Her best friend was more restless than usual, and Cordelia, who was not having the same problems Xander was, had insisted on joining them. She was sitting almost possessively close to Xander, and every so often glared at Willow. Willow mentally rolled her eyes. Not only had she accepted Xander and Cordy being together, but, after the effects of the spell she and Amy had cast, she was totally over Xander wand now thought of him as her best friend/brother. Plus, she had another focus for her affections now. She looked over at Tara who was sitting at another table, and the two exchanged smiles.

"I'm not getting this!" Xander proclaimed loudly, slamming his open hand down on the book. Cordelia reached up and ran a hand down his arm, calming him a little. The two exchanged looks.

"It's simple, really," said Willow, pointing to the page the book was open to. "See, the bisector of a vertex is the line that divides the angle of that vertex into two equal parts."

Xander looked at her like she was speaking Sumerian or something. "It's all a blur," he said, getting agitated again. "All these numbers and angles."

Willow looked confused. "You had it last week," she said.

"Why do I need to learn this?" Xander asked, closing his eyes.

"Because, otherwise, you'll flunk math," Willow explained.

Cordelia looked at her. "And that's bad because...?" she asked. God! These two were acting so weird lately.

"Because if he fails math, he'll flunk out of school," Willow explained. "Then you'll be dating the guy at the pizza place who sweeps the floors and says "Hey kids, where's the cool parties this weekend?" She looked at Xander, who was pinching the bridge of his nose with concern. "Do you have a headache?" she asked. Cordelia had gotten up and started massaging his neck. Xander seemed to lean his head over and sniff her arm.

"Yeah," he said. "And I think I know what's causing it." He grabbed his book and tossed it into the trash. "Ah, that's better." he looked at Willow. "Let's just forget it, ok? I don't get it. I never will get it. And...I don't CARE." He stood and took Cordelia's hand. "Let's scram." Cordelia gave Willow a "stay away" smirk as the two left.

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"See, the problem with you kids today," Mr. Flutie was saying to Buffy as she walked next to him carrying Herbert. "is that you have no school spirit." They stopped outside the faculty room. "Hold on, let me get this off." He removed Herberts costume and continued his "kids today" speech. "Today, it's all gangs, and drugs and those movies on Showtime with the nudity." He paused at the amused look Buffy gave him. "I don't have cable, I've only heard. When I was your age, we cared about our school's reputation. About our football teams record. All that stuff." He paused again and looked at Buffy, getting a self deprecating smile on his face. "of course, when I was YOUR age I had a bunch of old guys around me telling me how much better things were when THEY were MY age." Buffy gave him a smile as he walked into the faculty room holding the door for her. She was about to follow when Xander and Cordelia walked by. Herbert freaked, squealing and struggling to get away. Both looked back at them, then looked away and continued walking. Confused, Buffy managed to hold onto Herbert and followed Mr. Flutie into the faculty room.

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 **Los Angeles**

"BILL!"

Bill turned as he was about to enter the same diner he'd gotten lunch from the day before. He saw Lily walking up to him. "Hey, Lily," he said. "How are you?"

"Rickie's gone," she said. "I haven't seen him since shortly after we left the diner yesterday. I think maybe something's happened."

Bill stepped up to her, looking knew from the vision he'd had two nights ago, he and Darla were supposed to help these two. "You're sure he's "missing"?" he asked.

Lily nodded. "He's never been gone this long before," she said, plaintively.

Bill nodded. "Since you came to me, I'm guessing going to the police is out?"

She shook her head. "No, he skipped out on his parole."

"Ok," said Bill. "We'll look for him."

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 **Sunnydale**

Shannon sighed. This was SO not how she wanted to spend her time! It had started raining about an hour ago, so, outdoor gym was canceled. Now, the class was gather in the gymnasium, half on one side half on the other. She knew what this mean.

"Dodgeball!" announced coach Herrold happily. Shannon looked at him with disdain. He was the type of gym teacher who favored the athletic kids and seemed to look down on the non atheltic ones. Not that she herself was unathletic. She HAD to be athletic. But, she hated that attitude and she hated dodgeball. there was absolutely no point to the game as far as she was concerned. She listened as coach Herrold continued. "Now, for those of you who are as follows: you throw the ball, and you dodge." There were five large rubber balls lined up on the center line on the floor. He signaled and both teams backed away. Shannon noted she was on a team with Buffy, Willow, and Tara, as well as others. Xander and Cordelia were on a team with those five lunkheads they had followed into the hyena house the day before, as well as a boy named Lance and a couple of others.

Coach Herrold dropped his arm and blew his whistle and there was a mad scramble for the balls. Buffy got there first and managed to grab one, but, Shannon herself was beaten out by Cordelia, Xander, Rhonda and Heidi on the other team. It almost looked like Tor might beat Xander, but, he backed off at a glare from Xander.

Balls were thrown. Buffy managed to take out a member of the other team, then, barely, dodged balls from Xander and Heidi. Rhonda took out a student on Shannon's team as Shannon rushed to grab one of the balls Buffy had dodged, then Cordelia threw her ball hitting Willow in the back, hard. Willow spun and looked at Cordelia incredulously, then stiffly moved off the court. Shannon took aim and threw her ball at Cordelia, but, the cheerleader spun impossibly fast and caught it, taking Shannon out. She cursed and stomped her way over to sit next to Willow.

Buffy was the only one who was doing any good. She scooped up a ball and took out another student, but, every other ball thrown at the other team was dodged, almost too easily by Xander, Cordelia or one of their new friends. Lance managed to survive by staying under the radar. Tara was eliminated in the next barrage from the opposing team and came over to sit with Shannon and Willow, fussing over Willow a bit.

Shannon looked at the court to see Buffy the only member left from their team, throw two balls at once, on eliminating a student she didn't know, the other narrowly clipping Mick. The teams were down to Buffy versus Xander, Cordelia, Kyle, Rhonda, Tor and Heidi and all five balls were in the hands of the other team, Cordelia being the only one not holding one. She gave them an evil grin as Xander and Buffy stared at each other.

Then, as one, all five turned on Lance. Seeming to see what was happening, Lance dropped to the floor and covered up as all five balls pelted him hard. Buffy ran over and helped the boy up, glaring at Xander and Cordelia. They glared right back, then they and their new friends all gave a weird sounding laugh, and walked off the court. Shannon couldn't help but notice Mick giving Buffy a strange leer.

"God, this game is brutal," she heard coach Herrold say. "I LOVE it!"

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Their pack was hungry. Cordelia could see it. She was too. They were hungry and it was up to her and Xander as the alpha couple to make sure their pack was fed. She and Xander both sniffed the air, then turned and nodded to each other.

"Dogs,' said Xander simply.

"Where?" asked Kyle, sniffing the air himself. Xander pointed and the whole pack walked towards the smell. There were two boys at a table, both had hot dogs in front of them. They seemed to be arguing about something.

"That's no way to play guitar,' the first boy was saying emphatically. "That's just hunt and peck."

"It's NOT!" said the second boy.

They looked up as the pack approached. "Xander,"said the first boy. "You've heard Wretched Refuse play. What do you think of the guy who plays lead guitar?"

"Hey!" said the second boy as Tor and Mick each grabbed a hot dog. "What do you guys think..."

"Shut up," Cordelia snarled at him. "You're sharing."

"Friends like to share," said Xander. He turned to Tor and Mick. "How is it?"

"Too well done," said Tor disgustedly as he and Mick threw the hot dogs back onto the table. They looked at each other and proceeded to brush everything on the table onto the ground.

"Hey!" said the first boy. "That is NOT cool!"

Tor and Mick were about to tear into the two boys when Cordelia caught a scent on the air. "Boys," she said. "This way." She and Xander started off. The others following obediently.

Cordelia opened the door to the faculty room and inhaled deeply, seeing Xander do the same. She nodded to Rhonda and Heidi who went and closed the blinds. Al;l seven of them turned and looked at the object in the middle of the room.

Herbert's cage. They all approached it as Xander knelt in front of it. Herbert went nuts, squealing and backing up against one side of the cage.

"Let's do lunch," said Cordelia.

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Buffy, meanwhile, was trying to console Willow. A few minutes after gym class, she'd found Willow confronting Xander and Cordy about their behavior lately. Xander had informed her he was dropping geometry and now never had to see her pasty face again. All seven had laughed and walked off.

"I've known them most of my life, Buffy," said Willow, crying softly. "I mean, sure, Cordelia can be a word that rhymes with "witch" most of the time but Xander has NEVER been mean to me before!"

"I think something's wrong with them," said Buffy. "With both of them. I can't see either of them hanging out with the dode patrol like they have been. There's something weird going on here," she said, decisively.

"What are you going to do?" asked Willow.

"I'm gonna talk to the expert on weird," answered Buffy, walking off.

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 **Los Angeles**

Bill walked up to an old abandoned building, alone. Earlier, he and Lily had gone to the blood bank and spoken to a nurse named Joan about Rickie. She said he hadn't been in for a couple of days, but she would let him know they were looking for him. Bill had gotten a funny feeling from the woman, but they had left. Bill had decided things would go faster if they split up, so he'd had Lily tell him about some of Rickie's haunts and told her what motel he and Darla were staying at, agreeing to meet there later.

Bill walked into the building. The place was a wreck, obviously. It was clear people had been sleeping here. There were cigarette butts here and there, one or two liquor bottles, and even a few food wrappers. But the place seemed to be deserted now.

He was just about to give up and leave when he saw something. it looked like somebody lying on the floor. He made his way over and knelt down. It was the same old man from the night before. Next to him was an open bottle of drain cleaner. Then Bill noticed it.

He had a tattoo on his forearm. Half of a heart with the name "Lily" inside of it.

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Lily was upset and frustrated. Nobody had seen Rickie. She had no idea what she was going to do as she made her way to the motel Bill had told her about, crying. Rickie took care of her. Without seeing him, she walked right into a man.

"Are you ok?" asked the man, holding a handful of Family Home leaflets. Lily just shook her head. "My name is Ken. Maybe I can help."

"You can't," Lily told him.

"I know you all think I'm a big square,' said Ken, shaking his head. "handing out leaflets about hope. But, hope is a real thing, just like despair. Hope can fill a part of you that's missing."

"But...Rickie..." said Lily.

Ken brightened up. "Rickie? Are you Lily? Rickie was talking about you."

"You...you've seen Rickie?" asked Lily, hopefully.

Ken smiled. "Well, yeah. He's with us. Why don't you come with me, and I'll take care of you, and you can see Rickie."

Lily wasn't sure she could trust Ken, but, she was desperate to see Rickie. "Ok," she said, and she followed him off.

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 **Sunnydale**

"Xander has taken to teasing the less fortunate?" Giles asked Buffy as he went about his work in the library. Buffy was getting frustrated with how unconcerned he seemed.

"Uh huh," she said emphatically. "Cordelia too, well, worse than usual."

"And there has been a noticeable change in both clothing and demeanor?" Giles continued. "For both of them?"

"Yup," said Buffy.

"And all their spare time is spent lounging about with imbeciles?"

"Imbeciles neither of them would have spent two minutes with a couple of days ago. it's bad, isn't it?"

Giles nodded. "It's devastating. Xander has turned into..."he paused for effect. "a 16 year old boy! You'll have to kill him, of course."

Buffy fought to not stamp her foot. "Giles! I'm SERIOUS!"

"So am I," he said. Then he paused. "Well, except the part about killing him. Buffy, testosterone is the great equalizer. It turns all men into morons. he will, however, get over it."

"I cannot believe that you of all people are trying to Scully me," said Buffy, exasperatedly. Cordelia is acting jsut as weird! Yo ucan't blame THAT on testosterone!"

"Well, teenage girls go through changes as well," said Giles.

"Giles!" exclaimed Buffy. "There is something supernatural at work here. Get your books. Look stuff up!"

"Look under WHAT exactly?"

"I don't know," said Buffy, frustratedly. "That's YOUR department!"

"The evidence you've given me is sketchy at best," Giles noted.

Buffy thought of something. "They scared the pig!" Giles just gave her a look. "Well...they did!"

Giles pinched the bridge of his nose. "Buffy," he said. "Teenagers, can be cruel. They tease. They...they...they prey on the weak. I-i-it's a natural behavior pattern."

Something struck Buffy. "What did you say?" she asked.

Thrown, Giles said "They tease?"

"No," said Buffy, putting on her thinking face. "You said "they prey on the weak". I've heard that before." She thought a moment, then snapped her fingers. "The zookeeper. Outside the hyena exhibit. He said the same thing about hyena's! And Xander and Cordy have been acting totally wiggy ever since they followed Kyle and the others into the hyena cage. Oh God, and that laugh!"

Giles looked confused. "You think Xander and Cordelia are turning into hyena's?" he asked.

"I don't know," said Buffy. "Or maybe been possessed by them. And not just Xander and Cordy. All seven of them."

Giles looked skeptical at best. "I-i've certainly never heard..." he was interrupted by Willow as she came bursting into the library.

"Herbert!" she said, breathlessly. "They found him."

"Th pig?" asked Buffy, wondering why on Earth Willow was on about that.

"Dead," she said, by way of an answer. "And also eaten. Principal Flutie is freaking out!"

Buffy turned to Giles. "Testosterone, huh?" she drolled. Giles looked at her and headed towards his office.

"What are you gonna do?" asked Willow.

"Get my books," answered Giles. "Look stuff up."

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Xander found exactly what he was looking for. Cordelia was lounging lazily against her locker, not seeming to care if any teachers saw she was not in class. he smiled and walked up to her. She returned the intense gaze he gave her, and the two started to sniff each other. Both smelled strongly of sex.

Xander entwined his fist in Cordelia's hair, and pulled her head back, leaning in and kissing her. She kissed back, entwining her hand in his own hair. They kissed deeply, both trying for dominance, neither submitting.

Finally, they broke off, both breathing heavily. Xander took Cordelia's hand and ,without a word, both left the school.

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Bob Flutie was incensed as he walked down the halls of his school. All he could think of was poor Herbert. He spotted Kyle, Rhonda, Tor and Heidi and stomped over to them "You four!" he said angrily.

Kyle looked at him, seeming bored. "What?" he asked insolently.

"Don't play games with me!" Flutie said, barely restraining from striking the boy. "Three student saw you four as well as Harris, Chase and Cooper outside of Herbert's room! You're busted! You're going DOWN!"

"How IS Herbert," asked Rhonda, sassily.

"Crunchy!" answered Heidi, making them all laugh."

"That's it!" said Flutie, incensed. "My office. NOW!"

The four stopped laughing. Kyle started off, indicating for the others to follow. Flutie went along with them. "You are going to have so much detention, your grandchildren will be kept after school!" he announced.

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"Wow,' said Buffy, looking at a book. "Apparently, Noah rejected hyena's from the ark because he thought they were an evil, impure mixture of dogs and cats."

"Hyena's are no well liked," agreed Willow. "Why couldn't Xander and the others have been possessed by puppies? Or some ducks?"

"Assuming "possession" is the right word," said Buffy.

"Oh, it IS,": said Giles walking over to them. "The Masai of the Serengeti have spoken of animal possession for generation. I should have remembered that!"

"How does it work?" asked Buffy.

"W-well, there is apparently a sect of animal worshippers who call themselves Primals," answered Giles. "The term "Primal" is generally used for any person who has an animal spirit inside of them, regardless of if that person has been possessed by the animal, or willingly took the spirit inside of themselves, but these people adopted the name. Anyway, they believe that humanity...uh...consciousness...uh...the souls is a...a perversion, a dilution of spirit. To them, the animal state is holy. They are able, through trans-possession, to draw the spirits of certain animals into themselves."

"And then they start acting like hyena's," concluded Buffy.

"Well," said Giles. "only the most predatory of animals are of interest to the Primals, so, yes, that would fit."

Buffy gave him a dubious look. "What happens to the person once the animal spirit is inside of them?"

Giles handed Buffy a book, opened to a certain page. "If left unchecked..."

Buffy looked at the page, then slammed the book down on the table. "I gotta find Xander and Cordy," she said as she left the library.

Willow looked at the book. On the page the book was opened to was a drawing of people with limbs missing, heads bitten off, and other sever injuries.

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Xander and Cordelia had left the school grounds and made their way to a nearby park. They found a secluded spot and started sniffing each other again. Then, they stared hard into each others eyes, each seeing an animal lust to match their own. The stared harder, each trying to stare the other down and take control, but, finally grabbed each other and sunk to the ground, pulling each others clothes off as they kissed.

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Buffy arrived at the faculty room and went inside. The place was a mess. She looked at the cage and saw it was totally mangled. "They're strong,' she said, unnecessarily. She heard a crunch and looked down to see she had stepped on one of Herberts bones. She looked and saw other bones, and a few parts that the hyena people had apparently found less than yummy on the floor. Sadly, she turned around...

To see Mick standing behind her. She'd enver even heard him come in.

"Mick," she said. She tried to step around him, but he matched her speed, stepping back into her path. Every time she moved, he matched her. "This is ridiculous!" she finally said. "We need to talk." She moved suddenly, knocking Mick to the floor and landing on top of him., holding his arms down.

He grinned up at her. "I was hoping you'd jump my bones," he said, lustfully. Then, he growled and managed to catch Buffy off guard, f;lipping over and rolling himself so that now HE was on top. He pinned her arms above her head.

"Get off me!" she growled, struggling, but he had leverage.

"Is that what you REALLY want?" he asked. "I think you like this."

"Mick, you're in trouble," said Buffy, suddenly scared as to where this was going to go. "You're infested with some hyena thing. It's like possession!"

Mick ignored her. "I know you saw me last night," Mick whispered, moving closer. "You were in your room, undressing just for me. But, at the last minute, you covered yourself, didn't you, you tease."

Buffy stopped struggling in shock. "You were watching me?" she asked, now creeped out as well as found some courage. "I don't want to hurt you, Mick."

Mick grinned and bit her neck, hard, making her cry out. "How about now?" he asked. Buffy started struggling again. "Come on, Buffy. I like it when you're scared." Buffy struggled harder as he started roughly kissing her neck, shifting his hands so one hand was holding both of her wrists, his hand sliding down her body. "The more I scare you," he sniffed her as his hand reached her waist. "the better you smell." He hand slid between them and started to undo her pants.

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Flutie stood in his office, lecturing the four teens.

"I've seen some sick things in my day," he yelle at them. "believe me. But THIS is beyond the pale! What is it with you people?" He barely noticed as the pack started to whine and sniff him. "is it drugs? A poor defenseless pig!" He suddenly noticed what they were doing. "What are you doing?" He pushed hsi way past them and went to the other side of his desk. "Now stop that! I'll tell you how this is gonna work. I'm gonna call your parents and they are gonna come and pick you up and take you all home." He reached for his phone and started to dial, but, Tor took it from him and tried to stare Flutie down. Flutie just glared back and held out his hand. Tor handed it to him.

"thank you," said Flutie, starting to dial. suddenly, Rhonda ripped the phone out of his hand and threw it across the room.

"Sorry,' she said insincerely.

"That is IT," Flutie yelled now incensed. "You people are about this clsoe to expulsion! Now, I'm willing to talk to the school councilor and we can discuss options." he tried to move but Heidi stopped him and Tor climbed on top of the desk, growling down at him. "Get down from there this instant!" Rhonda suddenly swiped her fingernails across his cheek, scratching him. He went form angry to scared in a second as he fell back into his chair, his hand touching his cheek. When he pulled his hand away, there was blood on it. "Are you INSANE?" he screamed as Tor jumped off of the desk onto him, and the rest of the pack descended on him.

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Both Cordy and Xander were naked now, each exploring the others bodies, the hyena spirits inside of them making them unable to control their lust for each other, but the human spirits still inside of them making them proceed as a weird combination of man and animal, kissing each other, licking each other, biting each other until small amounts of blood were drawn. Cordelia moaned in ecstatically as she allowed Xander to take control. He leaned her back on the ground, and kissed his way down her body. She squealed as he kissed her in that special spot. He lingered there a moment, then, moved up and spread her legs...

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	18. NOT A NEW CHAPTER PLEASE DON'T BE MAD

Hello my readers,

I mentioned this in my profile, but, as not everybody reads profiles, I am doing a special non chapter in each of my stories so you know what is up.

I am not abandoning any of my stories, but, my personal life has gone a little crazy lately. I've always spent a lot of time taking care of my wife, who is disabled, and lately, her mother too. Things have been extra bad with my mother in law lately, and I've spent the last three weekends running errands for her. So, not only am I having little time for writing, but, often, when I do, I'm just too tired or brain fried to write.

And, if that weren't enough, my Dad has COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), basically, problems with his lungs. He's in the final stages of this disease, which means, there is no telling how much longer he has. He lives three hours away. As a result of this, I'll be visiting him on the weekends sometimes, and, as I have no laptop, I won't be able to write when I am up there. Weekends are my prime time for writing.

So, I repeat, I am not abandoning any of my stories. Nor am I putting any of them on hiatus. I'm still trying to write when I can, but, updates are likely to come a lot more slowly. I know there are people chomping at the bit to find out what happens next in some of them and I am truly sorry for this. Believe me, I don't like it any more than you do. I hope you know how much I truly do appreciate you all. I hope nobody gets bored and goes away because of this.

I hope life is treating you all well.

Bill, AKA DaBillmann.


	19. Chapter 17 The Pack Pt 4

**Dedication: This chapter is dedicated to my Dad. I mentioned in the last "chapter" I wasn't going to have as much time for writing because he was sick. Well, he passed away on May 3rd, the day after I posted that. My Dad was the greatest man I'll ever know. He was an amateur writer himself, mostly poems, though he hadn't written in years. He'd read some of what I posted here last summer, and he told me "I was very proud. You're better than i ever was". I can't tell you how that bit of praise from my Dad made me feel. So, this chapter is for you Dad. I love you.**

A/N: It's been a bit since I posted. My Dad's death hit me kinda hard, and I've been really busy. But, looks like I have some time to write again. It's been longer since some of my other stories were updated, but, I felt since this is my most popular story, I should start here. Hope you enjoy.

 **Chapter 17 The Pack Pt 4**

 **Los Angeles**

Bill paced the motel room as Darla sat watching him. He'd returned to the motel to wait for Lily to show up to give her the bad news about Rickie, but she hadn't shown yet, and he was getting worried.

"You're sure it was Rickie?" asked Darla. "I've never heard of anything aging somebody like that. Could it be a demon that drains the life force?"

"I'm sure," said Bill. "What are the odds that the dead old man and the guy I was looking for would have the exact same tattoo?"He thought about what Darla said for a moment. "I don't think so. That would have killed him outright, and it was pretty obvious Rickie had killed himself. No, there's something weird going on, and dollars to donuts it's going on at Family Home."

Darla looked at him. "Dollars to donuts"?" she asked. "What does that even mean?"

"Never mind that," said Bill, grabbing a blanket off of the bed. "We gotta go stop Ken before he gets his hands on any other kids. I'm actually kinda worried he may already have gotten to Lily."

Darla sighed. "Ok," she said, throwing the blanket over herself. "You drive."

Bill nodded and opened the door as Darla made a bee line to the car.

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 **Sunnydale**

Willow and Tara were in the library, watching a video of hyena's feeding on the pc, when they heard the door open. Both looked over to see Buffy dragging a very unconscious Mick behind her.

"Hurry up," said Buffy. "We need to get him locked up."

The girls jumped up and walked over to them. "Mick?" Willow asked. "What happened to him?"

"I hit him," said Buffy simply, eyeing the book cage.

Tara looked at Micks battered form and opened the cage. "W-with WHAT?" she asked incredulously.

"A desk," said Buffy, dragging Mick inside. "And the wall. And the floor. And another wall."

"You...hit him with two walls and the floor?" asked Willow as they arranged Mick on the floor, then locked the cage.

Buffy looked a little sheepish. "Well, it's just possible I hit the walls and the floor with HIM." she said. "He was looking at me funny yesterday, then apparently last night, he was peeping in my bedroom window. Then, just now, he decided to try his hand at felony sexual assault."

"That was HIM?" asked Willow. Buffy had told her about the strange feeling she had had that someone had been watching her. Then what Buffy had said sunk in. "Oh, God, Buffy. The hyena...it didn't..."

"No, I stopped him," answered Buffy. "Hence all the hitting. But, it's safe to say, that in his animal state, his idea of wooing does not involve a Yanni CD and a bottle of Chianti." She looked around. "Where's Giles?"

"H-he got called to some sort of teachers meeting," answered Tara. She looekd down at Mick. "God, what if that had been Xander? Buffy. What are we gonna do? How do we get them back?"

Buffy shook her head. "Right now, I'm more worried about what the rest of the pack is up to." They both turned as Giles entered the library, looking troubled.

" Xander and Cordelia were seen leaving the campus," he said, having obviously overheard them." As for the others, er, they were spotted outside Herbert the mascots cage. They were sent to Principal Flutie's office."

"Good," said Willow. "That'll show 'em." She got a good look at Giles face. "I'm guessing it didn't show 'em?"

Buffy looked aghast. "Giles," she said. "They didn't hurt Principal Flutie, did they?"

Giles looked at them clearly horrified by what he was about to say. "They...uh...they ate him."

Willow somehow found herself sitting down as she, Tara and Buffy both looked at Giles, almost uncomprehendingly. "They ATE Principal Flutie?" asked Buffy.

"Ate him up?" added Willow.

Giles nodded. "The, uh, official story is that wild dogs somehow got into his office. There was no one at the scene."

"B-but Xander and Cordelia didn't," said Tara. "S-since they left the campus. And Mick...was with you." She indicated Buffy then the cage.

Giles looked to see the unconscious Mick lying in the book cage. "Well, thank goodness for small favors," he said.

Buffy went straight into business mode. "Giles," she said. "How do we stop this? How do we...trans-possess someone?"

Giles looked troubled as he, Buffy and Tara joined Willow at the table she was sitting at. "I-I'm afraid I still don't have all the pieces," he said. "Um, the accounts of the Primals and their methods are a bit on the thin side. There is some talk of a-a-a-a predatory act, but the exact ritual is, is, um..." He looked thoughtful and opened a book, Tara and Willow both moving closer to try and read what he was reading. "The Malleus Maleficarum deals in particulars of demonic possession which... may apply..." He flipped a few pages, the seemed to find what he was looking for. "Yes! One, one should be able to transfer the hyena spirits into another human."

"Great." Buffy drawled sarcastically. "Any volunteers?" Willow and Tara shookj their heads. "What we need to do is put the hyena's back into the hyena's."

Giles nodded. "B-but, until we know more..."

Tara suddenly remembered something. "The zookeeper!" she exclaimed. "I-I bet he knows something! M-maybe he didn't quarantine those hyena's because they were sick."

"Good thinking, Tara," Giles said smiling, making the shy blonde blush a little. "We should go talk to him."

"Ok," said Buffy, getting up and starting to leave. "Oh, wait, someone needs to stay and watch Mick."

"We will," said Willow, indicating herself and Tara. Tara nodded.

"Will, are you sure?" Buffy asked, worried. "If he wakes up..."

"He's locked up," said Willow, holding her hand out for the keys. "We'll be fine."

Buffy hesitated then handed over the keys, She exchanged a look with her two friends, then she and Giles left the library.

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 **Los Angeles:**

Lily stood alone in a room at Family Home, looking down at the plain, shift like dress they had had her change into. Things felt a little weird to her, but, she was willing to go through with it to see Rickie.

There was a soft knock on the door and Ken entered, smiling benevolently. "Well," he said. "Don't you look nice?"

Lily looked down again at her dress. "I guess," she said hesitantly. "Do I really have to wear this?"

Ken smiled. "Well, you don't want to wear your own clothes for the cleansing," he said pleasantly. "They'd get soaked." He put his hand on her back and gently steered her towards the door.

"Cleansing?" asked Lily. "Is that like a Baptism?"

"Not QUITE the same," answered Ken, a little less pleasantly as he opened the door and led her into the hallway.

"Then I'll see Rickie, right?" asked Lily.

"Of course," answered Ken, all friendliness and fluff again. "He's waiting for you. He's very excited."

Lily got more and more nervous as Ken led her down the hallway and into a bare room with a large pool filled with murky black water in the center of the floor. ken led Lily over next to the pool.

"We come to this station to wash away the past," he said ritualisticaly. " Go ahead and kneel. We let the water run over the pain, and the sin, and the uncertainty."

Lily wrinkled her nose as she looked at the water. "it looks kinda dirty," she complained.

Ken just smiled and led her into a kneeling position. Lily sighed and reached to splash some water on her face.

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 **Sunnydale:**

It was dark by the time Xander and Cordelia found the rest of their pack. Well, sans Mick. Kyle, Rhonda, Tor and Heidi were all huddled together in a pile, sleeping, obviously fairly recently fed. Xander and Cordy felt the absence of Mick and looked at each other. They started kicking the others to awaken them.

The others protested as they awoke and rose, but Kyle shot to his feet and faced off with Xander. Xander, having had enough of this from him, belted Kyle, knocking him to the ground. Kyle glared but backed down.

"Mick?" asked Cordelia, rolling her eyes as she tried to get things back on track. The others all shook their head at their co alphas. They didn't know.

Kyle rose and the six of them rose and spread out, each of them sniffing the air to pick up Mick's scent.

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"So, some of the students are possessed by the hyena's?" asked Dr. Weirick, the zoo keeper, after Buffy and Giles had told their story.

"Yes,' answered Giles.

Weirick looked troubled. "Are you sure?"

Buffy rolled her eyes. "We're WAY sure," she said.

Giles looked at the man. "Y-you don't seem terribly surprised," he said.

Weirick looked thoughtful and began to pace. "The zoo imported those animals from Africa," he said. "There was something strange about them from day one. I did some homework...that particular breed is very rare. Totally vicious. Historically, they were worshipped by these guys..."

"Primals,' supplied Giles.

"Yeah!" said Weirick snapping his fingers. "Creepy guys." Buffy found herself thinking about pots and kettles. "Now, they had rituals for taking the spirits of they hyena's, but I can;t see how they got into your kids."

"Um, we don't know exactly how the ritual works," explained Giles. "We know that it involes um..ummm some sort of symbol and a predatory act of some kind."

Weirick looked up. "Predatory act?" he asked. "Of course. That makes sense. Where did you read that?"

"Do you have Sherman Jefferies work on, on cults and on..."

Buffy rolled her eyes as the two oldsters got distracted. "Boys?" she snapped impatiently.

Giles looked sheepish. "Sorry,' he said.

Weirick looked at them thoughtfully. "Look,' he said. "I think between us we have enough information so we can pull off a reverse trans-possession."

"What do we do?" asked Buffy, happy to be getting some where.

""We've gotta get the possessed students to the hyena cage," explained Weirick. "I'll meet you there and we can begin the rituals."

"W-well, we can guarantee one of them," explained Buffy. "There are six more, but we have no idea where they are.

Weirick shook his head, dismissively. "I wouldn't worry about that," he said. "After they've fed and rested, they'll track the missing member of their pack until they find him. They should come straight to you."

Buffy and Giles exchanged a horrified look. "Willow and Tara!" exclaimed Buffy and the two rushed out.

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Tara sighed as she and Willow watched the hyena video again. Mick had a woke a short time ago and started banging on the cage, screaming for them to let him out. he'd quieted a bit since then, and was now pacing his cage. Every now and then, he'd call out to them.

"Willow. Tara."

Tara sighed again. "We're not listening," she told him.

"Willow. Tara."

"Would you shut up?" asked Willow, getting really irritated.

"Willooooooooooow! Taraaaaaaaaaaaaa."

The girls looked at each other. That wasn't Mick's voice.

It was Xanders!"

"Willooooooooooow! Taraaaaaaaaaa!"

That was Cordelia.

The two girls looked around, terrified as other voices joined them.

"Willooooooooow Taraaaaaaa!" "Willooooooow! Taraaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

Suddenly, they heard a crash, and saw feet coming through two of the windows. As one they rose and took off out of the library. They heard the pack banging on the cage as they took off down the hall.

All too soon, they heard the sounds or pursuit. They heard seven pair of feet running on the floors. Some of the pack were calling their names, some were laughing, that weird, insane sounding hyena laugh. The two girls ran down the hallway, trying doors, finding all of them locked.

They kept running, until they hit a dead end. They turned to go back to the last cross corridor, only to see the pack blocking their way. Both girls screamed as the pack laughed and closed in on them.

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 **Los Angeles**

It was dark by the time Bill and Darla arrived at Family Home, so Darla luckily didn't need the blanket. They walked up to the front door but found it locked. Bill pounded on it.

A moment later, two thuggish looking guys opened the door. "We're closed," said one of them in a no nonsense voice. He dried to close the door, but Bill blocked it with his foot and they both shoved, knocking both guys back.

Bill ran in and grabbed one, slamming him against the wall, then throwing several punches into his face, then slammed his head against the floor, knocking him out. Darla rolled her eyes and kicked the other right in the stomach with enough force to knock all the wind out of him. She grabbed his arm and twisted it back.

"Where's Ken?" she asked.

The thug didn't answer, but they saw him glance at an inner door. The nodded at each other and slammed his head into the floor, knocking him out too. They both walked over and kicked open the door.

They looked into a bare room, with a pool filled with murky black water in the center of it. Ken and Lily were kneeling next to it, Lily's arm was in the water, invisible up to the elbow.

Ken rose and stood between them and Lily. "This is a private moment," he said sounding annoyed.

Bill grabbed him. "How do you do it, Ken?" he asked. "How do you make them old?"

"Do you really want to know?" asked Ken, all pleasantry gone from his face.

"What's going on?" asked Lily. Darla took a step towards her.

"Lily," she said. "Get away from there!"

Lily looked like she was about to comply, but, she was suddenly grabbed and pulled into the pool. Darla ran forward and dove into the pool after her.

Bill and Ken struggled, Ken being a lot stronger than Bill had thought. Bill finally threw all of his weight forward, making he and Ken go stumbling into the pool...

and landing in another room! They hit hard and separated, Ken rolling away from Bill. Bill looked around, and saw Darla helping Lily to stand. he looked upwards and saw the pool above them.

"Well, that's a hell of a thing," he murmured.

Ken stood, clutching his head. "OW! My face," he groaned. He'd smashed his face into the floor when they landed. His voice just got more furious as he continued. "God, do you have ANY idea..." he turned to face them. His human face was hanging in tatters. There was a demon face underneath, all ugly and scarred with what looked like open wounds that were not bleeding. "TO GLUE THAT THING ON? GUARDS!"

Several figures headed their way. Still a bit confused, Bill and Darla took action. Darla grabbed Lily's hand and shouted "Come on!" They all took off down a corridor, hearing Ken and the guards following.

"There's gotta be another exit," said Bill as they dragged Lily along behind them. Suddenly, he stopped and the two nearly collided with him.

"Jesus," groused Darla. "Signal next time."

Bill pointed, the corridor ended at a sheer ledge looking down at

Hell.

It was an enormous room, part factory and part prison camp, with more than a touch of the Spanish Inquisition. Human prisoners. of varying ages, wearing shifts similar to Lily's, were at work, hauling huge stones, doing metal work, all manner of demeaning and backbreaking labor. All of them zombies, working, submissive and silent. Along the tops of the huge concrete pillars people were strung up to die as punishment, for what crimes Bill could not be sure. Guards, demons obviously, patrolled around, occasionally stopping to beat a prisoner. Their black garb strangely reminiscent of the SS to Bill's eyes.

Ken and some of the guards stepped up behind them. All three turned to face them.

"Welcome to my world," said Ken, ominously. "I really hope you like it. Because, you're never leaving."

With that he and one of the guards raised the cudgel's they were carrying and smashed Bill and Darla in their faces, knocking them both down and out.

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A/N2: And, in typical TV fashion, cut to a commercial. LOL. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. More to come soon. Please review and let me know what you thought.


	20. Chapter 18 The Pack Pt 5

A/N: Once again, I apologize for the length of time between updates. Life has been super busy for me lately, plus, had a lot of writers block when I did have a chance to write. I hope this chapter was worth the wait.

 _ **To Fast Frank: Thank you for your review. Now, Shannon COULD be meeting with the city council. She's a very important person in Sunnydale! LOL. Ok, ok. I botched the spelling on counselor. To coin a phrase "Whoops!"**_

 **Chapter 18 The Pack Pt 5**

 _ **Previously:**_

 _ **Sunnydale:**_

 _Willow and Tara kept running, until they hit a dead end. They turned to go back to the last cross corridor, only to see the pack blocking their way. Both girls screamed as the pack laughed and closed in on them._

L _ **os Angeles:**_

" _Welcome to my world," said Ken, ominously. "I really hope you like it. Because, you're never leaving."_

 _With that he and one of the guards raised the cudgel's they were carrying and smashed Bill and Darla in their faces, knocking them both down and out._

 **Sunnydale:**

Tara's eyes went wide as the Pack closed in on them, Xander and Cordelia at the lead. Were they really going to die like this? At the hands of two of their friends?

"This way!" yelled Willow, grabbing her hand and heading off down a side hallway. Tara ran, alongside Willow, her lungs burning until they reached a dead end. The only way to go was into the room ahead, which the two girls did without hesitation. They went inside and slammed the door.

"There's no lock!" screamed Willow in a panicked voice. Both girls looked around to see they were in the teachers lounge. There were a couple of tables and a vending machine in the room.

"The t-tables!" said Tara, her stutter worsening from the stress. "W-we'll push th-them in front of the d-door!"

"The door opens outwards!" Willow pointed out.

The girls backed up against the far wall as they heard the Pack coming up to the door. Tara looked around again and saw the vending 'd gotten pretty good at levitation since her mother had started her training, but she'd never moved anything this big before. Still, she had to try. She closed her eyes and concentrated.

Willow looked over at her with confusion as the Pack opened the door to the lounge. Ignoring them for the moment, she looked to where Tara seemed to be facing. She saw the vending machine move, just a little bit, but, then it stopped.

Willow looked to the doorway and saw Xander and Cordelia standing just inside, smiling predatorialy at them, as the other five stood behind them. She took a deep breath and reached over and took Tara's hand again. Both girls concentrated, beads of sweat breaking out on their foreheads. Xander and Cordelia looked at them, confused, and started to advance on them.

Suddenly, the vending machine sprang up into the air and shot forwards, barreling over all seven hyena-possessed students, stunning them. The girls opened their eyes and ran past them. Tara felt Xanders hand brush her ankle as they ran by.

They ran back out of the lounge and down the hallway. In all too short a time, they heard the Pack following them again, though moving a bit slower, still recovering from getting hit by the vending machine. They turned a corner, the Pack hot on their tails.

Xander came around the corner first only to run smack dab into a fire extinguisher that Buffy was swinging at him, knocking him to the floor. Buffy the turned and fired the extinguisher at the other six, temporarily blinding them as they got hit full force with the spray.

Tara froze for a moment, almost as stunned as the Pack was by Buffy's sudden arrival. Luckily for her, Giles was there too.

"Run!" he yelled. Tara and Willow hastened to comply as Buffy tossed the extinguisher at the Pack, hitting one of them. Buffy followed the others down the hall and into a classroom. Giles, waiting by the door, slammed and locked it behind her. They all turned to look at the door, hearing the Pack arrive and start pounding on the door, unable to get in. After a few moments, the pounding stopped, and there was silence outside.

"I think they've gone," said Buffy after another minute. She started towards the door.

Willow looked terrified. "What if they're faking it?" she asked.

Buffy shook her head. "No," she said. "They're hungry. They'll be looking for somebody weak." She looked to her two friends apologetically. I'm really sorry, you guys.. I didn't know they were gonna come after Mick."

"N-no, it's ok," said Tara, very shaken. "Th-there was no way you c-COULD have known!"

"We have to get them back to the zoo if we are going to put a stop to this," said Giles, urgently.

Buffy nodded, squaring her shoulders. "I guess getting them there is MY job," she said, bravely.

Giles looked concerned. "Buffy," he said. individually, most of them are almost as strong as you. Mick may be AS strong. Together..."

"They ARE tough," Buffy interrupted. "But I think they're getting stupider as the hyena's take more control." She looked to the others. "You guys get to the zoo and get things rolling. I'll bring them to you."

"Be careful," Willow called out as Buffy turned to leave. Buffy looked back and nodded, then left.

"Let's go," said Giles, ushering the two young witches to his car.

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 **Los Angeles:**

Bill awoke with a groan, looking over to see Darla stirring next to him. "You ok?" he asked and winced, the sound of his own voice making his head hurt.

"I could say more for the accommodations," muttered Darla. Bill looked to see that they appeared to be in a dark cell with a stone floor and a latticed iron grill on one wall. A terrified Lily was sitting nearby with her back to a wall. There were two other "occupants" in the cell, a 60 something year old man who appeared to be entirely beyond speech or reason, and a decaying corpse. That explained the smell in the place.

"Lily?" asked Darla as she and Bill helped each other sit up.

Lily had her knees curled up to her chest as she slowly rocked back and forth, shaking her head. "I knew it," she said, tearfully. "I always knew I'd come here, sooner or later. I knew it. I knew that this was where I belonged."

"Where?" asked Bill, feeling his strength slowly return.

"Hell," said Lily, simply as she stared at both of them.

"No," said Darla shaking her head. "This is NOT Hell!"

"Isn't it?" came a familiar voice. Bill, Darla and Lily all looked to see Ken pacing outside the barred door. He grinned at them as he spoke. "What is Hell, but the total absence of Hope? The substance, the tactile proof of despair?" He looked at Lily. "You're right, Lily. This is where you've been heading all your life. You come from nothing, to become nothing."

"Don't listen to him," Darla told Lily. But it was clear that Lily was soaking up every word Ken said, whilst both Bill and Darla were still too weak and stunned to mount much of a counter argument. Ken gave Lily an evil smile. "Just like Rickie."

"Rickie..." whimpered Lily.

"He forgot you, eventually," said Ken, conversationally. Oh, it took a long time. He actually remembered your name years after he'd forgotten his own. But, in the end, he forgot you."

Lily looked confused. "Years?" she asked. "But..."

"Time moves more quickly here than in your dimension," said Ken, answering her unasked question. "A hundred long years will pass here, on Earth, just a day."

This was all starting to make sense to Bill. "So, you work us until we're too old,then spit us back out?" he said. "That's it, isn't it?"

"Oh, very good," said Ken, mock applauding. He turned to Lily. "You see, Lily, you'll die of old age before anyone wonders where you went. Not that anyone will. That's why we chose you. That's why we choose runaways."

Darla looked at him defiantly. "You didn't choose US," she said, pointing at Bill and then herself. We're not runaways."

Ken looked amused. "No, no we didn't," he agreed. "You two definitely don't fit our usual profile. We probably wouldn't have chosen you. But, as I said to Lily, you'll both be dead long before anyone notices you gone, and really, what are the odds they'll trace you back here?" He opened the cell and several demon guards entered the cell and dragged the three of them to their feet, ushering them out.

They were dragged into a dark room with old, iron metalwork and machines lining the walls. The guards unceremoniously threw Bill and Darla to the floor. They shakily got back to their feet, still a bit weak but rapidly regaining their strength. They saw there were five other prisoners besides themselves and Lily. A demon guard walked back and forth in front of the group, holding a club in one hand, tapping it against the palm of the other.

"You work, and you live," he said as if it were the simplest thing in the world." That is all. You do not complain, or laugh, or do anything besides work. Whatever you thought, whatever you were, does not matter. You are no one now, you mean nothing." He approached a boy a couple of years older than Bill. "Who are you?" he asked.

The boy looked at him, terrified. "I-I'm Aaron..." he began but, the guard smashed him in the face with his club, killing him instantly. The prisoners all gasped but, were too terrified to react any more than that. Bill shook off the last of his grogginess and looked over at Darla to see a familiar look on her face. He gave her an imperceptible nod as the guard moved to the next prisoner.

"Who are you?" he asked.

The prisoner, a young woman, looked at the floor submissively. "I'm no one," she said. This seemed to satisfy the guard, who moved onto the next prisoner. Down the line, he repeated the question, "Who are you?" getting the answer "I'm no one" until he came to Darla.

"Who are you?" he asked.

Darla looked up at him defiantly and said in ehr sassiest voice. "I'm Darla, and this is my friend Bill."

Bill gave the guard a vicious smile. "We'll be killing you this evening," he added.

Looking enraged, the guard raised his club and swung it at Darla, but, she reached both hands up and caught his wrist, giving a twist and snapping the arm at the elbow. She then grabbed the club and swung it upwards, connecting it to the guards chin with a satisfying crunch, knocking the guard back and out.

The other guards shook off their surprise and rushed them. Bill shook his head, putting on his game face, and leaped forward to meet them. He headbutted the first, several of his facial spikes tearing skin, then punched the same guard in the face,, then slammed him face first into a wall. Darla, swung her club, bludgeoning a guard to the floor without even looking at him, then did a swing kick to the face of another, following it up with a punch to the throat.

Darla looked to the other prisoners who were all stunned. This had all take only a few seconds. "Anybody who is not having fun follow us," she ordered, starting out of the area. Lily followed immediately, but the others hesitated.

Bill switched back to his human face so as not to scare the other prisoners and turned to them. "You comin'?" he asked. "Because, we WILL leave without you if we have to!" This was enough for the prisoners, who quickly followed them.

The group made their way to the main chamber, sticking to the shadows. They stopped in a lower corner to assess the situation. Across teh chamber and way, WAY up was the ledge they had nearly run off of earlier. Two guards stood up top, looking down into the chamber.

Bill shook his head. "There is no way we're getting up there without making a lot of new friends," he said.

Darla nodded. She turned to Lily. "Ok, Lily," she said. "when those guards leave, and they will, you take these guys and get up there. Fast and quiet."

Bill nodded. "Anybody else wants to come along, fine, but you don't stop for anything. Clear?" he added.

Lily looked at Darla, panicked. "You're leaving me?" she asked. "But..."

Darla dropped her club and put a hand on each side of Lily's face. "Lily," she said firmly. "You can handle this. You can do it because I say so!"

Lily was about to respond but, they suddenly heard voices and looked to see the shadows of guards running down the hallway.

"Guys, we've just gone public," announced Bill. He looked at Lily. "Get them out. Go. NOW!"

Lily nodded and took off with the prisoners. Bill and Darla hung back until the guards appeared then ran off into the main chamber, the guards hot on their heels. "Not yet," said Darla. "Not yet.

"Here's good," said Bill as they reached the center of the chamber. Never slowing, Darla put on her game face and grabbed a standing pole, swinging around and planting both feet squarely in one of the guards faces. Bill shook his head again, putting his own game face back on and charged another, boxing his ears, then grabbing his head and slamming it into his knee. They worked together to take out the third just as quickly, then reached down to re-arm themselves. Darla grabbed one of their cudgel's and a wicked looking sickle like blade. Not being as good with weapons as Darla, Bill settled for just a cudgel.

As the sirens sounded, several other guards charged into the chamber, looking around to see what the trouble was. They found it in the form of Bill and Darla, both holding their weapons, looking sweaty but defiant as the search lights swept across their faces.

The guards rushed them and the first was met with Bill's cudgel smashing him in the face. Darla took another one down with her own and saw a guard about to scramble Bill's brains from behind, so she hurled her blade into his back, taking him down.'

Bill and Darla continued to swing their cudgels, as well as their fists and feet, creating quite a ruckus as they took down more of the guards. A number of prisoners took note of the ruckus and left their posts, joining Lily and the others in their exodus. Bill heard Ken's voice from above shouting "Human's DON'T fight back! That's how this WORKS!" He chuckled, determined to prove Ken wrong as he pulled a guard off Darla and smashed him to the ground. Darla gave him a nod and kicked another in the jaw.

The two fought on, starting to slow down a little, but, never stopping for more than a moment. They finally made their way to the upper level, only to hear Ken's voice announce "One of you fights, and you all die!" They looked to see Ken with a knife to Lily's throat. They looked at each other, exasperated, but both stopped fighting as a number of guards came up and grabbed them.

Ken, furious, yet, in control, shoved Lily aside and pointed the knife at them. "That..." he growled. "THAT was not permitted!"

"Well, maybe we can PRETEND it was permitted," said Bill.

"It was definitely fun," added Darla, both still in their game faces.

Ken got a good look at them for the first time. "A vampire," he said, shaking his head. Then he looked at Bill, incredulously. "And a Brachen! I'm impressed. You have guts for a Brachen." He looked menacing. "I'm going to slit you open and play with them." He turned to Darla. "And you, I can have fun with YOU for a long time!" He turned to the rest of the assembled. "All of you! Take a good look! THIS is the price of rebell..." He cut off the word and screamed as Lily, finding her courage, shoved him from behind, sending him right off the ledge. Bill and Darla exchanged a smirk when they finally heard him hit the ground below. They quickly dispatched the guards who were holding them, then put on their human faces and ushered the rest of the group ahead of them.

They made their way to a portcullis of sorts cutting off access to the cutting off access to the pool-in-the-ceiling they had arrived in.

Lily was looking at them with wide eyes. "Y-you guys aren't human!" she said.

"Does that REALLY matter right now?" snapped Darla. "They'll be here any minute."

Bill reached down and took hold of the bottom of the gate and strained his muscles pushing upwards. Darla joined him and the two managed to slowly move it upwards. When it got high enough, the prisoners climbed underneath it. Once Lily, the last of them, was through, Bill gave a massive shove, lifting it up higher so Darla could go under.

"Man," he muttered as she got through. "I am gonna feel this for the next week!" Before he could go under himself, however, a body slammed into him from behind, sending him flying. However, without Bill there to hold the thing up, the portcullis smashed down on Ken's legs, pinning him to the ground. He looked up at them, his face a mask of blood soaked rage.

"You...ruined...you..."Ken stammered as Bill picked up a cudgel and approached him.

"Hey Ken," he said."Wanna see my impression of Ghandi?" Before Ken could answer, Bill swung the cudgel down, caving in Ken's skull.

"Let me guess," said Darla as Bill dropped the cudgel and flipped off the approaching guards. "A pissed off Ghandi?"

"More or less," Bill chuckled. The two started boosting the others up through the pool, then, finally, Bill boosted Darla up, then leaped up himself, Darla and Lily catching his wrists and hauling him though. Once he was clear, the pool disappeared, leaving only solid floor where it had been.

"It closed," said Darla. "I'm guessing it's over."

The three stood there for a moment longer, then Bill put an arm around each of the girls shoulders and led them out, following the others. Bill smiled as he noticed Lily regard Darla with a sort of hero worship.

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A/N2: Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please be sure to read and review.


	21. Chapter 19 The Pack Pt 6

**Chapter 19 The Pack Pt 6**

 _ **Previously:**_

" _Run!" Giles yelled. Tara and Willow hastened to comply as Buffy tossed the extinguisher at the Pack, hitting one of them. Buffy followed the others down the hall and into a classroom. Giles, waiting by the door, slammed and locked it behind her. They all turned to look at the door, hearing the Pack arrive and start pounding on the door, unable to get in. After a few moments, the pounding stopped, and there was silence outside._

 _"I think they've gone," said Buffy after another minute. She started towards the door._

 _Willow looked terrified. "What if they're faking it?" she asked._

 _Buffy shook her head. "No," she said. "They're hungry. They'll be looking for somebody weak." She looked to her two friends apologetically. I'm really sorry, you guys.. I didn't know they were gonna come after Mick."_

 _"N-no, it's ok," said Tara, very shaken. "Th-there was no way you c-COULD have known!"_

 _"We have to get them back to the zoo if we are going to put a stop to this," said Giles, urgently._

 _Buffy nodded, squaring her shoulders. "I guess getting them there is MY job," she said, bravely._

 _Giles looked concerned. "Buffy," he said. individually, most of them are almost as strong as you. Mick may be AS strong. Together..."_

 _"They ARE tough," Buffy interrupted. "But I think they're getting stupider as the hyena's take more control." She looked to the others. "You guys get to the zoo and get things rolling. I'll bring them to you."_

 _"Be careful," Willow called out as Buffy turned to leave. Buffy looked back and nodded, then left._

 _"Let's go," said Giles, ushering the two young witches to his car._

Buffy found the Pack surrounding a wite car sitting in the driveway outside of some random house. She could see at least three people, one of them child sized, inside the car. Rhonda and Tor were on the hood of the car, pounding on the windshield, Kyle on the top pounding on the rear window, the others pounding on side windows.

Buffy charged in, leaping onto the roof and grabbing Rhonda's shirt, tossing her to the ground. She did a spin kick that sent Tor to join her. Buffy leaped onto the top of the car and grabbed Kyle, picked him up, and tossed him onto Mick, Heidi and Cordelia, then kicked Xander in the jaw,m sending him to the ground. "Didn't anybody ever tell you not to play with your food?" she asked them, hands on her hips.

The Pack all helped each other to stand, then looked up at Buffy, growling. She met their gaze with a small smirk. "C'mon," she said challengingly, almost seductively. "You know what you want!" She jumped off the hood and started running. The Pack immediately forgot about the family in the car and followed her.

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"That's the gateway to the hyena house," said Willow as she, Tara and Giles arrived. "Where's the zookeeper?"

"He must be inside," answered Tara.

"I-I'll go inside and prepare things," said Giles. "You two stay here and, uh, warn us when you hear Buffy and the others approaching." The two girls nodded and Giles went inside.

"Dr. Weirick?" called Giles as he entered the hyena house. Even for a trained Watcher, this was an eerie place, especially in the dark. A door closed behind him and he turned and jumped a bit when he saw Dr. Weirick, all made up with face paint and odd looking clothes, and carrying a long staff.

"Ah, of course," said Giles, calming himself. "The Masai ceremonial garb. Very good." He wondered for a moment why Dr. Weirick would need to be wearing the garb but shrugged it off. "Are you, er, otherwise prepared for the trans-possession?"

Dr, Weirick nodded. "Mostly," he stated.

Giles looked around and noticed the markings on the floor. "Oh, right!" he said. "The, uh, sacred circle. Yes, you'd need that to, um... This would be here when... when the children first came." He stopped, looking perplexed. " Why would you... " Giles cursed himself as he figured it out. Of course! "How terribly frustrating for you," he continued." that a bunch of school children could accomplish what you could not."

Dr. Weirick shrugged. "It bothered me at first," he admitted. "But, the power will soon be mine, so, what the hell?" He smirked as Giles went to make a break for it, then struck Giles in the gut with his staff, doubling the Watcher over. Then, he cracked it over Giles' head, knocking him out. Smiling, Dr. Weirick tossed the staff aside and dragged Giles off.

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Willow and Tara looked up as they heard the sounds or running footsteps coming towards them. Th-that's Buffy," said Tara rather unnecessarily. "Y-you go tell Giles they're coming. I-I'll stay, in case she needs help."

Willow wasn't happy about leaving Tara behind, but she knew Tara's magic was stronger than her own, so she nodded and ran inside.

"They're almost here," she called out. "Giles!" She turned and saw the zookeeper, Dr. Weirick. "Where are the hyena's for the trans-possession?"

Dr Weirick motioned to one side. "They're right here in the feeding area,' he said. Willow started to go over and see, but he stopped her. "Stay back. They haven't been fed."

Willow shuddered but obeyed. "Where's Giles?" she asked.

"He's...lying in wait," said Weirick. From outside, they heard Buffy ordering Tara to run.

"Shouldn't you bring them out?" asked Willow. "They're nearly here."

When the time is right," answered Dr Weirick. He took Willow by the shoulders and positioned her. "I need your help. Here." She looked down as he started binding her wrists just as Tara ran in, ahead of Buffy and the others.

"What is this?" asked Willow.

"A predatory act, remember?" said Weirick. He took out a knife and held it to her throat.

"uh, right," said Willow. "So, you'll pretend to slash my throat and put the evil back into the hyena's?"

"Something like that," answered Weirick with an evil smile.

Tara, meanwhile, had connected the dots and ran forward, grabbing Weirick's arm. "Get off her!" she yelled. Weirick just backhanded Tara with the hilt of the knife, splitting her lip and knocking her to the floor.

"They're right behind me!" yelled Buffy, entering the room, skidding to a halt as she sees all this down.

"Buffy!" yelled Willow. "It's a trap!"

"Yeah, I got that!" snapped Buffy just as Xander tackled her. The other members of the Pack all jumped on them.

Weirick started to chant. "Yu ba ya sa na," he chanted over and over as the air crackled with energy. Xander, Cordy and the rest of their Pack all looked up, their eyes briefly flashing green. Then, Weiricks eyes flashed green and he growled at Willow. He tossed the knife down and bent her head back, baring his teeth.

Xander and Cordelia were the first of the Pack to recover. "Willow!" Xander shouted as he charged Weirick, knocking him down. Cordelia, meanwhile ran over to check on Tara as Buffy fought her way out from under the Pack. All five of them moved back and scooted away on their butts.

Weirick got up and punched Xaqnder in the jaw, knocking him to the floor. He turned back to Willow but, Buffy grabbed his arm and spun him to face her, punching HIM. Weirick snarled and charged at Buffy, only to run right into a spin kick. His head snapped back, but he grabbed her by her shoulder and tossed her in the direction of the hyena pit. He growled at her and charged in again. Buffy ducked down and sprung back up as he approached, accidentally throwing him into the hyena pit. She turned to the pit, as she heard the hyena's growling and looked over the side to see Dr Weirick trying to crawl up out of the pit, but, two of the hyena's got his ankles. Buffy reached in and grabbed his wrists but, she didn't have enough leverage, and the hyena's dragged him down. Wincing, she turned away to see Xander untying Willow, and Cordelia and ara walking over. Behind her, were the incredibly gross sounds of the hyena's eating Dr Weirick.

They all looked over to see Giles stumble out of the back room. "did I miss anything?" he asked. Buffy and the others just shook their heads.

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The next morning at school, Bill shook his head as Buffy, Willow, and Tara filled him in on what had gone down. He'd already told them what had happened in LA. "I can't believe Flutie's dead," he said.

Willow nodded. "I hear the assistant principal is taking over until they find a replacement," she said.

"Shouldn't be too hard to find one," said Buffy. "Unless they ask what happened to the last one." Tara rolled her eyes.

"God, I can't decide which of us had a weirder time," said Bill shaking his head.

"Well, hell dimension's using kids as slave labor, or people being possessed by hyena spirits," said Buffy. "I'd call it a tie."

The four laughed as Giles came over, looking a bit disturbed.

"Hey, Giles," greeted Bill.

Giles looked up. "oh, yes, hello, Bill," he said. "Welcome back."

"What's wrong, Giles?" asked Tara.

Giles gave them all a funny look. "It would appear the hyena possessed students have full memory of the events that transpired," he told them. "Kyle, Rhonda, Tor and Heidi have all been remanded to a sanitarium. Apparently, the memories of...eating Principal Flutie drove them all mad."

"Ya THINK?" asked Buffy, a touch sarcastically. She herself had had nightmares about the hyena's eating Dr. Weirick last night.

"Those poor kids," said Tara, sympathetically.

"What about Xander, Cordelia and Mick?" asked Willow. "I mean, they didn't eat Principal Flutie, but, the other stuff must be affecting them."

Bill shook his head. "We'll just have to try and be here for them if we can," he said. The other four nodded in agreement.

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Xander found Mick, sitting alone in the quad, staring at the ground. They'd all heard what had happened to Kyle and the others. Xander walked up to him. ""Hey," he said. "How you doing?"

Mick shook his head. "Pretty shitty," he admitted. "Kyle and the others, we've all been friends since the third grade. They're really my ONLY friends."

Xander nodded and sat down next to him. "Well, I'm here, if you need to talk," he said.

Mick snorted. "Why should YOU care?" he asked. "All we ever did was pick on you."

"True," said Xander, nodding. "But, I know what you're going through. WE could just as easily have been with them when they...killed Principal Flutie. Plus, for a short time, I was your Alpha, well, one of them. I feel responsible for you. So, if you ever need a friend, or just someone to talk to, I'm here."

Mick nodded, and looked up with a small smile. "Thanks Xander," he said. He looked over and saw Cordelia standing there. "I think someone else needs you right now though."

Xander looked over at Cordelia. "Yeah," he said, a bit uncomfortably. "I meant what I said though. Anytime you need me, I'm here." Mick nodded and waved him over towards Cordelia.

"Hey," said Xander, uncomfortably as he approached Cordy.

"Hey," she said, not looking at him.

The two stood there for a moment, not knowing what to say. "How are you" or "Are you ok" both seemed so stupid.

"We have to talk," said Cordelia, finally looking at him. "I mean, Xander, we had sex yesterday!"

"I know," said Xander. "I was there."

Cordelia almost smiled at that but instantly got serious again. "God, on top of everything else, on top of eating that poor pig, we had sex. It was my first time and I was possessed by a hyena spirit at the time."

"I know," said Xander. "It was my first time too, and that is SO not how I imagined it. I'm so sorry."

Cordelia looked up at him. "For what?" she asked. "You were possessed too. It wasn't your fault."

"I know it wasn't ME me," said Xander. "But I WANTED it! I feel like I took advantage of you at best, raped you at worst."

Cordy shook her head. "I wanted it too, dumbass," she said. "If anything, we were BOTH raped." She reached up and started to cup his cheek, but both pulled back. They weren't ready to touch each other yet.

"I guess you're right," Xander said.

Cordelia continued. "Xander, I really care about you," she said. "But, everything that went down...it's messing with my head. I...I don't think I can be around you right now. At least not until I get this sorted in my head."

Xander looked down to see tears in her eyes. "I know," he said, yet again. He wiped some tears from his own eyes. "I feel the same way. Are we splitting up?"

"Call it a break," said Cordelia. "We both just need some space.

Xander nodded. He knew she was right. They both looked at each other, silently crying. Xander wanted nothing more than to hug her right then. But he couldn't. Not yet.

They both just needed time.

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 **Epilogue.**

After school, Shannon walked into Ian's bookstore as she usually did, a troubled look on her face.

"Are you ok?" asked Ian, worried.

Shannon shook her head as she replayed the events of the previous evening in her mind.

 _She had been up in her room, reading when she'd heard a noise from a couple of houses down. She'd gone outside to see Xander, Cordelia and the others trying to break into that car, all of them looking wild, feral, laughing with a spooky laugh. Then, out of nowhere, Buffy had arrived, and started beating them up, then got them to chase after her._

"Something weird happened last night," she said. "And once again, Buffy Summers was part of it. Ian, I think we have a Slayer in town!"

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A/N: And so we reach the end of The Pack. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I realize, it was almost exactly the same as the episode, except for the bit at the end. Please let me know what you thought.


	22. Chapter 20 Secrets Prologue

A/N:Hi guys. It's been FOREVER since I updated this one.I'ts the usual reasons, mostly. Seems as certain people in my life get older, they need my help more and more, so, been busy, plus writers block bad enough I took a conscious break from writing this one. I never intended for it to be on hiatus, just, a short break that turned out longer than I'd hoped. But, I figured out a few things and I am back. Hope you enjoy what I came up with.

A/N2: SPOILER ALERT: I'm tackling the episode Angel, though I am not calling it "Darla". The title of this "episode" is "Secrets" as more than Darla's vampiric nature will be revealed.

 _ **Previously:**_

 _Buffy grinned as a girl named Shannon walked in. She was a really pretty girl with long, wavy brown hair, wearing tight black slacks and a white blouse. Buffy only knew her a little. She was a smart girl, but seemed to be a bit of an outsider. And she knew Bill liked her. she had just been teasing him a couple of nights ago. It was only fair after all the grief he gave her about Darla. The thing that confused Buffy was, Bill didn't lack confidence with girls, he'd dated Cordelia for crying out loud,but, he seemed really reluctant to ask Shannon out._

 _"Hey, Shannon," said Bill smiling._

 _"Hi Bill, Hi Buffy," she said, smiling back then giving them a smirk. "Study group?"_

 _"Yeah,"said Buffy, a little dreamily. She reached down and plucked up some courage. "Darla?" she said._

 _"Yeah?" said Darla just as dreamily._

 _"I think I've figured out what I want," said Buffy. "About us."_

 _"Yeah?" said Darla, obviously suddenly nervous._

 _"I want us to have a date and see where things go from there," said Buffy. "Bronze, tonight?"_

 _Darla smiled. "I'd love to, Buffy," she said. "Meet you there at eight?"_

 _"Good," said Bill, fidgeting a bit. "God, it's been SO long since I've done this." Shannon just looked at him, raising an eyebrow. Bill took a deep breath. "I haven't dated anybody since Cordelia," said Bill. "Mostly because my life's gone through a lot of changes lately. But, I look at you, and then we had our conversation this morning, and all I can think is "I want to take this girl out." On a date. Not mobster "take her out". But you probably got that, huh?" He shook his head at himself. "Told you it had been a long time."_

 _Shannon sat there and chuckled softly. She'd always thought of Bill as very confident and together, but, him being so nervous right now, well, she found it endearing. "And yet, with all the stumbling, you're doing it pretty well. And yes, I'd love to go out with you."_

 _Bill sighed. He'd been afraid last night would push her away, but it seems to have had the opposite effect. "No," he said. "It's not ok. Shannon, there's a lot of bad, dangerous stuff in this world, and it's not ok to go looking for it when you don't understand all of it." He ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry, this jsut isn't gonna work."_

 _Shannon gave him a hurt look, then her look tunred angry. "Fine," she said. "But you don't know everything, Bill Doyle!" She turned and stalked off._

 _After school, Shannon walked into Ian's bookstore as she usually did., a troubled look on her face._

 _"Are you ok?" asked Ian, worried._

 _Shannon shook her head as she replayed the events of the previous evening in her mind._

 _She had been up in her room, reading when she'd heard a noise from a couple of houses down. She'd gone outside to see Xander, Cordelia and the others trying to break into that car, all of them looking wild, feral, laughing with a spooky laugh. Then, out of nowhere, Buffy had arrived, and started beating them up, then got them to chase after her._

 _"Something weird happened last night," she said. "And once again, Buffy Summers was part of it. Ian, I think we have a Slayer in town!"_

 **Chapter 20 Secrets Prologue**

 _ **The Virginia Colony: 1609**_

 _She was dying._

 _The young woman lay in bed, sweating, in pain, the afternoon sunlight shining through the window on her, her doctor removing a leech from her arm as two veiled sisters looked on. The woman moaned and shook her head. How the mighty had fallen!_

 _Her life had been so normal, the first 12 years. She grew up the only child of two loving, Catholic parents. She was a good girl, who attended church with them every Sunday, said her prayers, went to confession, and tried to make her parents proud._

 _Then, both parents had died in a fire while she was at a friends house. She was left with no money and no family. There was no orphanage in town, so, she'd turned to her priest, who had taken her in. There was only one bed, so, the priest had insisted she sleep in his bed with him. Then, that first night, he had..._

 _She had left the next day. Finding herself out on the streets, and not longer virginal, she'd done the only thing she could. She'd started selling her body. And she was GOOD at it. Soon, she had enough money to flee to the colonies, and eventually, opened her own brothel. Now, at the ripe old age of 19, though she somehow still managed to look younger, she'd amassed enough money to buy some property and retire._

 _Naturally, her happiness had not lasted long. At first, the symptoms were unalarming, tiredness, a general ill feeling, loss of appetite. Then, the rash had started on her hands and feet. Then, when the sores and warts had started appearing on her private parts, she'd seen a doctor._

 _It turned out she had contracted "the great pox". The doctor had tried, but, he was a simple doctor from the colonies, and eventually had to tell her she was dying._

 _She lay there, mentally cursing her life in general and God is specific. What sort of God would put this on her?_

 _"Close the shutters," she barked. "It's not right that I should die while the sun still shines so bright." One of the sisters hurried to obey._

 _"You'll not see it again," came a new voice She looked up to see a hooded priest had entered the room. "before it sets, you will have left this life."_

 _"I didn't ask for a priest," she snorted in disgust. Ever since her molestation when she was a girl, she'd hated the clergy._

 _"You did," corrected the priest in a silky, strange sounding voice. "Last night, in your delirium, you cried out for me."_

 _"I don't remember," said the woman dismissively. "Do you even know what I am?"_

 _The priest considered."A woman of some property," he said. " No husband, no inheritance. Yes. I know what you are."_

 _"I'm a whore," she said, flatly._

 _The priest seemed to snicker. "Yes, that too," he said. " You should have asked for a priest long ago, child. Your life may have been the better for it."_

 _She gave him as seductive a smile as she could. "And you should have paid me a visit before today, father. Your life may have been more interesting because of it."_

 _The priest ignored her. "Are you prepared to renounce Satan and beg God his forgiveness?"_

 _She scoffed. "God never did anything for me," she sneered._

 _The priest considered her words and turned to the doctor and the sisters. "Leave us," he said. The sisters obeyed, but the doctor continued to sit at her bedside. "You cannot save her life," the priest told him. "Perhaps I can still save her soul." The doctor nodded and left the room._

 _"My soul is well past saving," she told the priest. "Let the devil take me, if he will have me."_

 _"No," said the priest, stepping forward and pulling back his hood. "You will not die. You will be reborn."_

 _She looked up at his face. The face of a monster. White skin, red eyes, pointed teeth, all in all a somewhat bat-like appearance. She was unafraid. "I know you," she said._

 _"I came to you last night," he said kneeling next to her and taking one of her hands in his. "I sang to you from that window."_

 _"I remember now," she told him. "You're Death."_

 _He chuckled. "No. I am your savior."_

 _"WHO are you?" she asked as he leaned in close._

 _"Call me, "Master"," he said right before burying his fangs in her neck._

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 **Sunnydale, California, 1997.**

The Master stood and watched as the boy vampire Collin, his Annointed One, threw pebbles into a small pool. He was consternated. "Zachary did not return from the hunt last night," he informed the boy.

"The Slayer," sneered Collin.

"Zachary was strong,"said the Master." and he was careful. And still the Slayer takes him... as she, the Brachen and that traitorous Darla have taken so many of my family." He took a calming breath." It wears thin. Collin, what would you do about it?"

Collin looked up at him with an evil look on his young face. "I'd annihilate them," he said, simply.

The Master smiled. "Out of the mouth's of babes," he said, looking at the boy with something akin to fondness. "The rest of the Whirlwind are on their way, and yet, I can't wait any longer. I will send...the Three."

Collin smiled up at him.

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Bill sat at a table at the Bronze with Willow and Tara, watching with some amusement as a girl stomped on the floor, her boyfriend encouraging her to "Get him!" The girl reached down and picked up a now flat cockroach and presented it proudly to the bartender.

"What is the deal with this pre-fumigation party?" asked Tara.

"It's an annual tradition," Willow told her. " The closing of the Bronze for a few days to nuke the cockroaches."

"Somehow, they came up with the idea for the party," added Bill. "Kill a cockroach get a free drink." He looked over at the two girls, then out onto the dance floor to see Oz and Amy dancing together, happily. Buffy was out patrolling with Darla, though Bill suspected it was more of a date, and Xander and Cordelia were conspicuous in their absence. The two had been avoiding each other since the whole hyena possession incident, but Bill had hopes they would get back together. He sighed a little.

"Sounds like fun," said Tara. She looked at Bill. "What's it like where YOU are?"

Bill looked embarrassed. "Sorry," he said. "Just thinking about...things."

Both girls nodded sympathetically. "Shannon?" Willow asked.

Bill sighed again. "Yeah," he said. "I feel like i did the right thing, deciding not to see her. She needs to be safe, and I need to concentrate on helping Buffy. But, I REALLY liked her."

Tara put a hand on his arm. Bill smiled. In the few weeks they'd known each other, Tara was rapidly becoming Bill's best friend. "Maybe you should reconsider," she suggested.

Bill shook his head, remembering the night they'd stopped the Annointed One from rising. "No," he said. "It's just better this way." He stood. "Ok, you two need to forget MY problems and concentrate on having fun," he declared. He patted each of their shoulders and left.

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After a relatively uneventful patrol, Buffy walked hand in hand with Darla towards her house. It was a beautiful, starry evening. Buffy was feeling happy. She and Darla just seemed to keep growing closer. She didn't think they were there yet, but, she was pretty sure they were falling in love.

She took the hand she was holding and rubbed it with her other one. "Your hands are cold," she informed Darla.

Darla smiled at her. "It IS a little chilly this evening," she said.

"True," Buffy said nodding. Then she smiled mischievously. "Then maybe I better keep you warm." She sidled up closer to Darla, sliding an arm around her waist and cuddling close.

"Vixen," hissed Darla, leaning in and kissing her on her neck.

Suddenly, Buffy felt her hackles rise. Whatever that meant. She turned to Darla, who had the same look on her face. They were being followed.

"You're spoiling our moment," Buffy called out. "Just, show yourselves."

They heard a roar and the sound of someone dropping to the ground behind them. Both blondes turned to see a tall vampire with long, scraggly, greasy hair behind them. Buffy pulled a stake out from under her jacket and took a swing, but, found her arm grabbed. She turned to see a particularly large, muscular vampire holding her.

Darla moved to intervene, only to have her own arm grabbed by another vampire, this one with a jagged scar where his left eye should be. "Oh my God," she said. "Buffy, we have to get out of here!"

Long hair grabbed Buffy's other arm and the two were dragged into an alley and slammed against a fence.

"You aren't going anywhere," said One Eye.

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At the high school library, Giles was there late, doing some research. Something had been nagging at him for awhile now but he had no idea what it was, so, he was researching vampires in general and The Master in specific.

Giles gave a start as he heard the library door close. He turned up to see the girl Bill had tried dating, Shannon Mosely, and a man in a suit standing there. He was younger than Giles, with neatly trimmed ginger hair.

"Miss Mosely," said Giles, a bit flummoxed. "You know the school is closed?"

"Yes, Mr. Giles," said Shannon. "This seemed the best time to catch you alone." She turned to the man she was standing with. "I thought you two should meet."

The man stepped forward and extended his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Giles," he said. His accent was mostly American, but with a touch of the mother land in it. "I'm Ian Chambers."

Giles didn't shake his hand. He just gave him a suspicious look. "And what brings you here, Mr. Chambers?" he asked.

Shannon rolled her eyes. "Look, I've figured it out," she said. "I know Buffy is the Slayer and that you're her Watcher."

Giles looked at her in alarm. "And how do you know this?" he asked. "And why bring him in?"

"Because, I am a Watcher too," answered Ian. "Shannon's Watcher."

Giles would have thought his eyes couldn't have grown any wider. He was wrong. This explained a lot.

"My God," he said to Shannon. "You're a Potential!"

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A/N3: And this is the point where the script would read "cue opening credits" LOL. Hope you all enjoyed. Please be sure to read and review.


	23. ATTENTION READERS

Dear Readers,

My apologies for how long it has been between updates for any of my stories. Things got a little crazier around here in general and THEN I wound up in the hospital with a really bad infection that nearly cost me at least part of my left foot. I just got out of the hospital after a week and two surgeries and am still looking at a month or two recovery time at least. Part of me is hoping that during the recovery, I'll at least have more time to write, but, frankly, in this moment, I just don't know if I have any inspiration, thanks to the stress, and I am unsure how long I can sit at my computer at a time. So, as I have said so many times before, my stories are not abandoned, or on an official hiatus, I just want everybody to know that, I have no idea when I will post in any of them. I know some of you are really enjoying some of them, and so am I, so, I'm sorry for this. As said, I'll try to keep some writing done, especially since writing has been a stress relief for me in the past.

Thanks in advance for your understanding,

Bill aka DaBillmann


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